I came to talk about Hell today. Because I think we have a misunderstanding of this concept. Its not just a word but some of us think of it that way. You can walk down the street any given day and hear it tossed about loosely with reckless abandon. One minute you’ll hear somebody say its cold as hell. Then you’ll turn around and hear somebody say its hot as hell. Folk complain around dinnertime that they’re hungry as hell. Then a few hours later they become tired as hell. Apparently it has become an acceptable word to use for emphasizing adjectives. And that’s a problem because Hell isn’t to be used as a part of speech! Hell is not supposed to be an acceptable word in common vernacular! Hell is not a joke or a place to direct our foes! We oughta be trying to get as far away from Hell as we possibly can!
I’ve learned that the way you start to fear something or someplace is by learning about it. When I first heard the term Bermuda Triangle, I was not afraid of it. But when I studied it and learned about the past of it, it struck fear in me. Until I went to Leatherneck in 2004, I had only heard the words brown recluse. But when I got there they told us about this poisonous spider, what it looked like, and what it does to humans. And I got scared! The acronym STD didn’t mean a thing to me until I got to health class in 9th grade and saw the gross disturbing pictures! If you want somebody to fear something, you need to teach them about it! That having been said, I’m going to bust Hell wide open today.
Hell is bad! It is a bad word! It is a bad place! It is a bad idea! People never truly knew that to tell someone “go to Hell” was to tell them to go to a place for unredeemed men; a lake of inextinguishable fire; a place of never-ending torment! Parents who tell their children, and preachers who tell the congregations “get right, live right, and stay right, or you’re going to Hell” are saying Hell is a bad place. You don’t need to be there! In fact, they are asking you what in Hell do you want?
As you consider life in its simplest form, you should be ever so grateful to know you could get up this morning, look around the house, and find everything the way it should be. You had food on your table, clothes on your back, and a little bit of money in your pockets! Now you know some people have more than others, and they are comfortable here. But beware if they should lose sight of where their blessing comes from and start thinking too big! You see, if they make a mistake and think they are so such-a-much, they could end up in Hell!
Note these comparisons: On a hot day, you can pour yourself an ice cold drink, and even crunch on the ice for coolness effect after the liquid is gone. This isn’t the deal in Hell. If you’re drinking hot tea or sipping soup, you can blow on your spoon and the liquid will soon cool. This doesn’t happen in Hell!
Because of man’s advanced knowledge, he is skillful in caring for burns of any degree. A little first-aid in the home for popping grease, scalds, or singes, and trauma and emergency treatment for larger scale burns, can in dude time, heal and only leave a trace of a scar. But if one should go to Hell, he’ll find no relief for his burns that never heal. The local painkillers can give immediate and long-lasting relief to a burn victim, but in Hell, there might even be well-known doctors who will be burning too! So they can’t stop to dress your wounds, treat your infections, or sooth your miseries. I ask you again, what in Hell do you want?
“MTV Cribs,” a popular TV show lets little people like you and I glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous. We get to tour their mansions, see them beckon for their maids and butlers, and swim in their Grammy shaped pools. It is well designed to stir the viewer’s envy and to cause them to conclude “now that’s the life!” Jesus issued a strong warning against that kind of envy, saying “Watch out! Protect yourself against the slightest bit of greed! Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” He dramatized his warning with a story of a farmer whose crops were so abundant that his barns couldn’t hold them, and who thought to solve all problems by building bigger barns. God called the man a fool, saying “tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?” And Jesus added “that’s what happens when you fill your barn with self and not with God!”
Today’s lesson carries the subject a step further showing the style of death of a wealthy and luxurious man. He suffered torment that reduced him to begging trivially for favors from one who had formerly looked to him for favors with no avail.
In our text, Christ is telling an incident to his disciples after their confrontation with the Pharisees concerning excuses, being lost, stewardship, and now sharing. Jesus describes the condition of a rich man and a Godly poor man. The rich man dressed in very expensive purple cloth, purple being the color of majesty. This man had all he could ever want in life, and he lived a life of considerable ease. He lived only for himself though, which was his condemnation.
Now, a poor man had been dumped on his doorstep. The poor man’s name was Lazarus, which means “God has helped.” The name was appropriate because he received little help from anywhere else. I thank God right now that even though I’m poor he helps me! I’m glad I don’t have to buy God’s help but that he’s a very present help in trouble! The man was covered with sores and layed there at the rich man’s gate hoping to be fed the scraps that fell from the table. The dogs were more considerate than their master. At least they licked his wounds.
The thick of the plot: both men died. Death is common to all mankind. You may be high! You may be low! You may be rich. You may be poor! But when the Lord calls, you got to move! Saints die to end their sorrows. Sinners die to give an account. The poor man died first with no money, or insurance. He was given a poor man’s burial; cast upon a pile of rubbish and burned at the potter’s field. However the angels bore him away to Abraham’s bosom, a place of honor, comfort, and a real paradise.
The rich man died and had an unforgettable funeral. He was eulogized by visiting dignitaries. He had a paid chorus and a large crowd to weep and mourn for him. He had a parade through town to his personally designed tomb! He even had a family to inherit all his belongings, but in Hell did he lift up his eyes!
I want you to take onboard that hell is a place of physical completeness and total consciousness. The rich man, in all of his earthly goods, entered into hell not because of his wealth, but because of his unwillingness to bow to the creator. Verse 23 indicates that the man had eyes, and that he was in torment, in other words the nerves that told him when it was cold or hot, wet or dry here on this earth were present with him in hell. Back in Ezekiel 32:21 we read “The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that helped him:” Ezekiel is here addressing the king of Egypt and the constant taunting he receives in hell for the same type of treatment he unleashed on the children of Israel, indicating once again that hell is a place of consciousness and despair.
In misery, the man asks not for a sup of water but merely a dip or drop from the tip of the finger of Lazarus, the very one he abused while alive. All I gotta say on that note is be careful who you ignore and leave to the dogs! You’ll wind up needing them later! The man cried for mercy, something that is not available in hell. Recall Matthew 25:30 “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus describes a place in Matthew that is a place of constant sorrow and full of pain. The weeping shall come from the remembrance of opportunity wasted.
He is in anguish and misery, tormented by his wrongdoings in life. His problem was due to his lack of aid or consideration for the less-fortunate. He had plenty to spare, but kept it all to himself. The man was guilty of loving money and being self-indulgent. He looked and saw Abraham off in the distance with Lazarus resting in his bosom. His misery is aggravated by his knowledge of Lazarus’s happiness! He called out “Father Abraham, mercy! Have Mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I’m in agony in this fire.” And Abraham replied to him, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things? Its not like that here. Here he’s consoled and you’re tormented! Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us!”
You see, Hell is a place of active memory. Abraham reminded the rich man in verse 25 of the things and opportunity he had received while alive. The rich man “prayed” to send Lazarus to tell his five brothers of his situation and condition and for them to avoid joining him. The word pray here means to petition; to ask as for a favor.” Two items are evident in this scripture: a. The rich man realized he was there to stay and that he could not leave, even for a little while (Clear Consciousness). b. That his suffering was great and that he wished for his lost brethren to avoid his eternal state (Active Memory). This reiterated the fact that hell is a place of torment, just imagine the rich man’s reaction when he realized it was up to each individual brother to escape hell!
The man begs to send Lazarus back to his father’s house to warn his five brothers about this place, and to ask them in all sincerity, what in Hell do you want?
The greatest torment Hell is separation from God. God doesn’t want anybody in Hell. It’s a place reserved for the devil and his minions! Matthew 25:41 says “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Do you want to be around nations who forgot God? Do you want to be around degenerates who rejected Christ? Do you want to be around those who accused, ridiculed, and abused Christ? Do you want to be around angels who have sinned? Do you want to be in the company of the Devil? The beast? The false prophets? Do you want to be in the number of those whose names are not recorded in the Book of Life? Tell them Hell will be a horrible place because of its inhabitants and ask them, what in Hell do you want?
Ask them, do you want to live in a sea of Fire and brimstone? Do you want continuous burning as your judgment? Do you want to be in a place where the temperature never cools? Tell them Hell will be a horrible place because of the temperature there, and ask them what in Hell do you want?
Ask them, do you want to be around people who are growling and gnashing their teeth? Do you want to be around people who will wake in shame and everlasting contempt? Do you want to experience never-ending sorrow? Do you want to dwell in the place of no rest, but continuous torture? Do you want to be like me, having a thirst that can never be quenched? Tell them, Hell will be a horrible place because of the activities there! Ask them, what in Hell do you want?
Do you want to be around those who remember God’s love too late? Do you want to be around those who remember Gospel sermons? Do you want to be around those who remember ignoring the Invitation to Discipleship? Do you want to be like me, with a memory of unsaved loved ones I left behind? Tell them Hell will be horrible place because one will have a memory there, and ask them, what in Hell do you want?
Ask them do you want to be in a place that has been enlarged to hold the multitudes that come everyday? Do you want to be in a place where no one can escape? Do you want to be in a place that lasts forever, even beyond God’s judgment? Tell them, Hell will be a horrible place because it will be forever, and ask them what in Hell do you want?
Abraham reminded the man of Moses and the prophets, and preachers like me. The people must listen to the prophets, repent, and believe; and they can be saved from this Hell. The man had one final plea. Because he knew all the Jews believed in signs and miracles, he asked to let someone who was dead return, and they would surely believe. Abraham said no, if they don’t listen to the prophets they certainly won’t believe. How right he was, for Christ raised the son of the widow of Nain, Jairus’s daughter. His friend Lazarus at Bethany, and even himself but do men believe?
I will tell ya, I’m glad my grandparents and parents told me how to stay out of Hell! I’m glad I accepted their advice before it was too late! Just as they told me, I can tell you, I don’t worry about where I’m gonna spend eternity! Jesus fixed it for me on Calvary when he said, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus fixed it for me when he said today thou shalt be with me in paradise! Jesus fixed it for me when he said it is Finished, and hung his head and died. He died so I could pass from mortality to immortality. He died so I could live again. He died so I could share his great riches in Heaven. He died so I could be recognized in the bosom of Abraham. They buried him, unlike the rich man in all his splendor. But like the poor man who had nowhere to lay his head, in a borrowed grave…
