TOPIC: WARNING ON THE DANGER OF HELL

MEMORY VERSE:“The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17)

TEXT: Luke 16:19-31

INTRODUCTION:

Our text gives one of Christ’s most detailed descriptions of the fact of an after-life and the certainty that there exists either of two eternal destinations for every mortal that has lived. Some have viewed this narrative as just a parable (a short simple story intended to illustrate a moral or religious lesson), but this is not a parable because Jesus never mentioned names in His parables. Here we see names mentioned – Lazarus, Abraham and Moses, confirming that this was a true life incident with a fearful end for one and joyful end for the other!

Hell fire was prepared for the devil and his rebellious angels as a place of everlasting punishment (Matt 25:41) but God has decreed that all sinners (all who do not have their names in the book of life), who forget Him, who have rejected Christ and His offer of salvation will likewise suffer torments in hell forever (Psalm 9:17; Lk.12:4, 5; Matt 5:22, 30).

The word ‘Hell’ is found about 54 times in the Bible (KJV). It is translated ‘Sheol’ in Hebrew and occurs 31 times; ‘Gehena’ (12 times), and ‘hades’ (10 times) in Greek and ‘Tartarus’ in Latin (10 times);

The subject of hell is one that many are shying away from and yet that does not remove its reality! It will amount to self-deception to think or believe that hell is not real. It may not be a pleasant topic to discuss but the fearful reality of eternity must make every serious-minded soul to take the time to examine his standing before God. It is better to weigh yourself on the balances of God’s word than to allow God to weigh you on the last day and you be found wanting. (Dan 5:27; 1Cor 11:3; Matt 21:44)

  1. TRUTHFUL REALITY OF HELL

Luke 16:22, 23; Matt 5:22; 18:9; Jas 3:6; Mark 9:47

“…the rich man also died and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments…” There cannot be any clearer description that hell is real! This statement came from no other person than the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Lord of all who cannot exaggerate or tell lie. All through the scriptures, the fact and reality of hell is clearly and repeatedly mentioned because the subject is as important as it is dreadful. Holy men of God of old have spoken about hell: Job (Job 11:8), David (Psalm 86:13), Ezekiel (Ezek 32:27), Amos (Amos 9:2), James (Jas3:6), Peter (2 Pet2:4) and greater than them all, our Lord Jesus Christ (Rev 1:18). God would never have used these men and His faithful Son, Jesus, to talk about hell if it was not real!

One of the greatest illusions of man is to think that hell is not real. All serious-minded believers must avoid false teachings about hell. The devil and the arch-enemy of man has cooked up several damnable doctrines and false teachings about hell to delude and deceive men so that their souls can be drowned in error and finally dragged to hell. These devilish doctrines include the following:

  • Purgatory: a so-called place of temporary punishment and purification before transiting to Heaven. Proponents of this doctrine believe that there is an intermediate state between death and appearance before God in judgment, where the unrighteous dead stays for a while to suffer during which his concerned saviours can "atone" for his sins and then "qualify him forheaven". There is no such thing in the entire bible!
  • Annihilation–total and complete destruction of the soul at death; that sinners will be burnt up in hell at once and no eternal sufferings.

The following scriptures confirm that these doctrines are devilish, deceptive, false and unbiblical (Matt 18:8; 25:46, Rev 14:11). The account of the rich and Lazarus amply nullifies these deceptive teachings. According to the infallible teaching of the word of God, hell is real – a place of literal fire where sinners who die unsaved and backsliders who die unrestored will be punished in painful torments. Another fearful truth about hell is that it is “never full”(Prov. 27:20), infact it is enlarging continually “without measure” to take in more lost souls! (Isaiah 5:14)

  1. TORMENTS AND REGRETS IN HELL

Luke 16:23-25, 28, Mark 9:43-48; Rev 14:11; Matt 25:30

The root word “torment” occurs four times in our text. There cannot be a greater emphasis on the seriousness of the state of torment in hell. The rich man described hell as “this place of torment”. He knew what he was talking about because he now was experiencing the intense and inexpressible anguish, suffering, agony, distress, pain, and torture of hell! There are many fearful descriptions of hell in the scriptures:

  • “their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched”
  • “they have no rest day or night”
  • “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”
  • “shame and everlasting contempt”

If Jesus, the loving Shepherd, the tender Saviour, the caring Redeemer can describe hell as a place where "their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:47), then it must indeed be a horrible and petrifyingplace! There is no iota of joy in hell, no glimmer of hope whatsoever, no consolation of any kind, no smiles, no cheers and no pleasure. It’s all woes! You must not go to hell!

Right from the Old Testament, the Bible in describing hell always associates it with downwardness (Isa 14:15), darkness (2 Pet 2:4), destruction (Prov 15:11),damnation (Matt 23:33) and death (Prov 7:27). It will be silly to engage in unprofitable questioning such as the location of hell. The fact is that it exists and must be escaped from. Perhaps the best description of the location of hell is the answer given by a Christian preacher to someone asking where hell was, “At the end of a sinful life,” the preacher replied.

  1. THOUGHTFUL REMEMBRANCES IN HELL

Luke 16:23-25, 27-31; 13:25-28; Matt 25:41-46

After death judgment follows (Heb. 9:27), thereafter, a Christ-less soul (sinner, hypocrite and backslider) immediately proceeds to hell with full consciousness, memory and awareness. Once in hell, nothing will be lost on how you lived on earth. There will be full recollection and remembrance of the failure to serve Christ while on earth. There will be no excuse of “when saw we thee…and did not minister unto thee?”because the Lord and the conscience will give back the answer, “Son remember that thou in thy lifetime…”The account of this once ‘rich man’, (who is now the poorest, as to be begging for one of the least things on earth – a drop of water!) shows there is full and perhaps greater consciousness in hell. In hell, this man exercised all the five senses. He was able to:

  • Move his body – “lift up his eyes…”(v.23)
  • See and recognize Lazarus and Abraham – “seeth Abraham…and Lazarus” (v.23)
  • Cry for help and talk to Abraham – “he cried and said Father Abraham” (v.24)
  • Feel the torments in hell and thirsted for water – “for I am tormented in this flame” (v.24)
  • Hear and listen to Abraham address him – “Abraham said, Son, remember” (v.25)
  • Reason and argue a point in the discussion – “And he said, Nay, Father Abraham” (v.30)
  • Recall his lifestyle on earth and remember his hell-bound five brothers – “For I have five brethren” (v.28)
  • Most sadly, he remembered the word, REPENT. – “They will repent”(v.30)

The saddest and most painful memory anyone will have in hell is, the remembrance of the opportunities he/she had to escape from hell but never made use of it while alive on earth. As a Christian writer noted,“The rich man recalled his riotous living while on earth as well as his five brothers that were yet unsaved. Beside the acute discomfort of hell, the regret of an error of judgment while on earth, on the part of the unsaved, presents an everlasting torment on its own”. To those that are still living in sin, (“---behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the dayofsalvation- (2 Corinthians 6:2).

  1. TRUTH FOR RESCUE FROM HELL

Luke 16:29, 31; 13:24; Matt 22:9-13; Rev 21:27

As terrible as hell is, it is escapable! It will take a genuine conversion, a spotless garment of holiness and righteousness before God almighty to escape from hell. Many on earth do not have this garment on them at all, some who had it have lost it, some still have it but it is stained, spotted and defiled. For any of the above condition, the consequence will be to be locked out of heaven and be sent to hell.The question is; how can a man escape hell and its terror and torments:

  1. Be genuinely born again and converted – John3:16 This is when and how you get clothed with the garment of God’s righteousness.
  2. Be free from sin and uncleanness. Do not be bound by a besetting sin – Matt 18:8-9
  3. Be holy within and without – Heb 12:14
  4. Be separate from sinners and unbelievers with their godless lifestyle – 2 Corinthians 6:17; Heb 7:26
  5. Be sure to maintain a good and clear conscience free from guilt and condemnation- Heb 10:22; 1 Tim 3:9
  6. Be absolutely obedient to the totality of the word of God – Jer. 35:14; Rev 22:18-19; Haggai 1:12
  7. Be faithful in showing and sharing the love of God – Matt 25:34-36

In the words of a Christian songwriter, Charles W. Naylor (1874-1950):

Heaven is a holy place filled with glory and with graceYou may live in sin below, Heaven’s grace refuse to know

Sin can never enter there.But you cannot enter there

All within its gate are pure from defilement kept secureIt will stop you at the door, bar you out forever more

Sin can never enter there.Sin can never enter there

If you hope to dwell at last, when your life on earth is pastIf you cling to sin till death

In that home so bright and fair,When you draw your latest breath

You must here be cleansed from sin, You will sink in dark despair

Have the life of Christ withinTo the regions of the lost, thus to prove at awful cost

Sin can never enter there.Sin can never enter there

Sin can never enter there

Sin can never enter there

So if at the judgment bar,

Sinful spots your soul shall mar

You can never enter there.

1ECF Bible Study-July@2013