The sermon discusses the concept of hell, the importance of redemption through Jesus Christ to avoid it, and encourages reflection on personal perceptions of hell.
What comes to mind when you think about hell? For many of us, I imagine we think of a place in our life filled with pain, torment, or frustration. Others may only have the images in our heads that we’ve seen through movies or online…
Story idea; Share here what picture or image comes to mind for you when you think about hell. Where did that imagery come from? What informed your thinking?
For all the different images or places we may imagine today, one thing is certain…
Hell is a difficult topic to preach… and I doubt it’s one that many of us enjoy discussing in our free time. With that said, it’s a topic that Jesus himself addressed over 70 times in the New Testament. He had a lot to say about it and He was quite descriptive… Much like our passage today which tells the story of one man who finds himself in heaven, and another who finds himself in hell. Their story is often referred to as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
So, what is there to learn from their experience? What nuggets of wisdom can be found in the conversation that transpires between Lazarus, Abraham, and the rich man? And furthermore, what larger point would Jesus be trying to convey through this parable? These are all questions I aim to deal with today as we look at the passage together.
Hell is a difficult topic to preach… and I doubt it’s one that many of us enjoy discussing in our free time.
As we dive into the parable today you’ll notice that several things become clear; In hell there’s no hope, no rest, and no peace.
No Hope
Read Luke 16:19-21
Our passage begins today with an introduction of our two main characters and their earthly circumstances. Notice the contrast between the two and the relative ease the rich man lives in while Lazarus suffers. All Lazarus wanted was a few crumbs from the rich man’s table. And to add to his humiliation, the neighborhood dogs would come to Lazarus and lick his open sores. It’s an understatement to say that this was a dehumanizing situation for Lazarus… He was nothing, a beggar whose only purpose was to serve as a morsel for stray dogs.
Lazarus had no hope.
And in contrast, the rich man had more than enough. He wasn’t thinking about Lazarus, or any other beggar for that matter. He had everything he needed… until of course he didn’t any longer.
Read Luke 16:22-24
Again, notice the contrast between Lazarus and the rich man. In life, Lazarus had no one to help him up, but in death the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. In life, the rich man had all the water, wine, spirits, and food he could have ever wanted but in death he doesn’t even have a drop of water to cool his parched lips.
He’s now the one with no hope.
He’s now the one, that will for eternity, be staring across the chasm to those who are content, comforted, and satisfied ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium
In Jesus, we have rest, eternal rest and apart from Him there is nothing but an eternity of agony and pain.
To say it bluntly, avoiding hell is a matter of accepting Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through HIm. (John 14:6)
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