"Whatever Happened To Hell?”

Luke 16:19-31. “What ever happened to Hell?”#

• Set off a smoke alarm using test button.

The sound you just heard is unpleasant. It is loud, it is annoying, and you probably rather not hear it. Nevertheless, this noise can actually save your life.

• Listening and acting on this little device could save your life!

The teaching of Hell, too is unpleasant and disturbing to hear about, but it is imperative that we do, because like the smoke alarm, it could save our eternal souls. The teaching that Jesus gives is like a smoke alarm its alarming and disturbing but its imperative we act upon it.

• When did you last hear a sermon on hell? The message comes from a heart that cares today and I get no satisfaction out of saying people are going to be in hell in fact my inside is wrenched apart when I consider so many people, even my own family without Christ.

The doctrine of hell is unlike the doctrine of the trinity which is ineffable to the human mind, yet even a child can understand the doctrine of hell because it is indelible marked in the conscience of us all.

Whatever happened to hell? (Apathy) The teaching of hell is sadly lost from the teaching of many Christian Churches today. Secular age view: imbibed the 70’s doctrine of John Lennon who said, “ Imagine there’s no heaven its easy if you try. No hell below us above us only sky."

• A recent gallop poll indicated only 24% of people believed in a literal hell.

As the Church we too are guilty, in regard to the teaching of hell…...(dead batteries in the smoke alarm!)

Yet the doctrine of hell is in the teaching of Jesus (right here) In fact Jesus who was love incarnate spoke more about hell than he did about heaven, (11 times hell 1 on heaven ).It was his love for people that drove him to speak about it…

• What does it say when we don’t speak about hell to others?

Two things: Either we don’t believe it or we don’t really love people enough.

Can we really afford to ignore hell? Hell is real? And millions of people are going there? What if your going there? And if so is there any way of avoiding it?

• So many people are just like the rodent Lemmings who follow each other to death short sighted.

Another intresting statistic is that every year 3,000 lives are killed and injured as a result of drink driving and this heightens around Christmas time. So the government along with the DVLA run drink-driving campaigns on TV. Where they show real life car accidents as a result of drinking and driving. There not shown to spoil our Christmas ( they give us a choice) but to warn us of the consequences of drinking and driving as Christians shouldnt we be warning people of the consequences of ignoring Christ’s love. Should we be giving people the choice?

Like wise Jesus tells us this story not to spoil our time here on earth but to warn us of the consequences of ignoring him as Savior and Lord. This story demonstrates his love towards us

People often ask “How can the God of love allow anyone to go to hell?” The question should be “How can He not? The fact that God is love makes hell necessary. Of course hell is not compatible with Gods love: it is a direct consequence of it.”

The very God who loves us is the one who respects our decisions. He loves us but he doesn’t force his love upon us. To does that would be assault! God allows us to decide he encourages us to respond he pursues us, he urges us but he does not force us, because he respects us.

1. Jesus teaches that there will be people in Hell. V22-23

People from the present v19 -22

Here we see Jesus speaking about two people a Rich man v19 / Lazarus v20 both these people lived in the present, the here and now. This isn’t a parable, here Jesus takes a person by name when Jesus spoke parables he never used name these are two literal people like you and I.

The Rich man and Lazarus are Literal people- who have lived in the present. But both die-entered eternity (illustration: clap hands – to show the current death rate) one of who goes to a literal heaven the other to a literal hell. V23

b) People in two places

Where are we going after death? How Is that we prepare for so much in this present world from pensions – savings – holidays- families – yet what about Heaven or Hell?

• We endeavour to prolong life – anti aging wrinkle cream tummy tuck –face lift – to cryonics yet death comes to us all, one in one die. But the million dollar question is where are you going too?