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 | 5 Minutes In Hell |
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5 Minutes in Hell - Pastor Steve Wilson - September 25, 2011 AM - Luke 16:22-24
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Have you ever speculated concerning what you would learn if you could make a five minute visit into the destiny of the doomed? Have you ever examined your heart and been convicted of the calloused, cold-hearted indifference of your heart toward the spiritual welfare of those for whom our Lord died?
Today I want us to take a short Scriptural trip to Hell, so we can learn five ways we might just be changed.
1. We would learn that hell is real
a. Hell was a reality to Jesus
b. Hell was a reality to the Apostle Paul
c. Hell was a reality to this rich man
There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores. Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. 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.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's 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.' The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.' Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.' I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.' Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'
- Luke 16:19-28
2. Such a trip would arouse the church from a state of complacency
a. The church is not a social club
b. The church is not just a service organization
c. The church is our Lord’s rescue squad
3. This trip would cause us to recognize the value of being genuinely Christian in all of our conduct.
a. We are to be the salt of the earth
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. - Matthew 5:13
b. We are to be the light of the world
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:14-16
Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to
fall. - 1 Corinthians 8:13
4. This trip would vastly influence our personal spiritual growth and discipline
a. We would become prayer warriors
b. We would become diligent students of the Bible.
c. We would become more an integral part of what God is doing in and through the church
5. Such a visit would enable us to learn why people go to hell
a. People do not go to hell because:
1) Of God’s desire and design
The Lord…is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9
2) They have sinned so greatly that God is not able to save them
b. People do go to hell because:
1) They refuse to repent
2) They live a selfish life of sin
3) Of our neglect to witness and to tell others of God’s love
The Lord…is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9
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