From His Heart

Announcer: Today on From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve, there is life and then there is an afterlife.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: People will be shocked to end up in hell and why are they there? Because God is mean and cruel and capricious and just said, "I don't like you. Get out of my face, you're going to hell." No, it's because they refused to believe and they refused to repent.

If you reject Christ, this is where you're going to end up. If a man, a woman, a boy, or girl ends up in hell, they have to trip over the cross of Christ to get there. He's not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. He desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. But if you blow him off, that is where you go.

Announcer: Now did Jesus believe in an eternal heaven and an eternal hell? Of course he did. And actually, in the gospel accounts, Jesus talked more about hell than he did about heaven. Both are real places. So what you believe about them really does matter. As has often been said, eternity is a long time to be wrong.

This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve. Yesterday, he began this series Forever and Ever: The Reality of Eternal Heaven and Eternal Hell. Today, part two of the lesson, Life and the Afterlife, where we'll learn three truths about the afterlife revealed in the parable about the rich man and Lazarus. One day, you and I will face the reality of an afterlife. So let's learn all that we can about this fascinating topic today. Open your Bible to Luke chapter 16 as we explore the assurance about life and the afterlife.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: What does Jesus want us to learn from this story that he told about life and the afterlife? Three key truths. Truth number one: learn the truth regarding earthly success. In Luke chapter 16, the beginning of the chapter, he's talking about wealth and he says this in verse 13, "No servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon, God and wealth, God and riches."

And then in just a few verses, he goes into this story about this guy who was so wildly rich. I mean, so wealthy was this rich man. And then in the contrary was the poor man just dumped at his gate, Lazarus, whose name means "whom the Lord helps." But he didn't seem like he was getting much help, definitely not getting any help from the rich man. So you have the rich guy and he's super rich. You have the poor guy and he's super, super poor. He has nothing.

Now in the minds of the hearers, in the minds of the Pharisees because they said, "Hey, when you have a lot economically and monetarily, that shows that God is blessing you, that shows God is favoring you, God is approving of you." The poor man, why is he so poor? Why does he have nothing? Why does he just have sores that the dogs are licking? Well, because he's cursed of God and when he dies he's going to go to hell. That's in their mind. And Jesus is shocking them with his story.

Learn the truth regarding earthly success. Listen: riches are a hurdle to heaven; they're not proof of assured entrance. Riches are amoral, it's not good or bad. You have a lot of wealthy people in the Bible. Abraham was a wealthy guy. But your attitude toward riches, that's what makes the difference.

Second truth: learn the truth regarding life after death. I like how succinctly it puts it in verse 22, "And it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom, and the rich man also died and he was buried." Listen, you mark it down: apart from the return of Christ, everyone dies. Everyone dies. I don't care how much money you have, you're not going to cheat death. You're not going to somehow get out of death. Everyone dies and then everyone lives eternally in either heaven or hell.

So Lazarus died, he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died and it says in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. Hades is the place of the unrighteous dead; paradise, Abraham's bosom, is the place of the righteous dead. You say, well is Hades the same thing as hell? Not exactly. Very, very similar but not exact.

What's the difference between Hades and hell? When a person dies without Christ, they go to Hades. They did in the Old Testament, they do in New Testament times. You die without Christ, you go to Hades. Hades is like the county jail. If you commit a crime, where do you go? You go to jail. The officers arrest you, you did this crime, where are we taking you? We're taking you to jail. They don't take you to prison; they take you to jail because in jail you await your day in court.

Then you have your day in court and when you're guilty and found guilty, the judge raps his gavel, "You're guilty." Then he sentences you to prison. Jail and prison are real, real similar but they're not exactly the same. And so Hades is where you go until Revelation chapter 20, beginning in verse 11, you have your day in court at the Great White Throne Judgment. And then the Lord raps his gavel and says, "Guilty. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness."

And then you go to a place that we refer to as hell where the worm dies not. It's a terrible, horrible place. It's referred to in the Book of the Revelation four times as the lake of fire. The lake of fire. And that is the hell of hells, the permanent place, hell. Learn the truth regarding life after death and then third, learn the truth regarding hell.

The emphasis of this story is not on Abraham's bosom, it's not on paradise, it's not on heaven. The emphasis is on hell. The emphasis is on Hades, it's on jail, which is pretty much the same thing as the penitentiary. This is what it is like: this is a first-person account to the man who died and went to hell. Learn the truth about hell. Look at it again in verse 23. It says, "And in Hades he lifted up his eyes being in torment and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame."

What do we learn from the rich man about this terrible, horrible place called hell? First of all, hell is a place of torment and agony and fire. That's what it is. Jesus said of that place, he called it the fiery hell. He called it the place of unquenchable fire. And it's a place of agony and it's a place of torment. Torment is used twice in this parable; agony is used twice in this parable.

Secondly, hell is a place of awareness and remembrance. This guy knows he's in hell. Now he's shocked that he's in hell, but he knows immediately. He is aware of where he is; he is aware of his surroundings; he is aware of the fact that he's in fire. "I'm in agony in this flame, in this blaze." Hell's not a place where you lose all consciousness. Hell's not a place where you go into annihilation. No, you know where you are and you know what's going on.

In this story, Jesus said he's having a conversation, the rich man with Abraham. "Hey, send Lazarus, just a drop of water on my tongue to try and cool my tongue, I'm in agony in this flame." And Abraham said to him, "Child, remember that during your life you received your good things and likewise Lazarus bad things, but now he's being comforted here and you are in agony." My father-in-law, Gerald Cannon, he said in hell you'll remember. "Child, remember." Your mind is working in hell.

You'll remember all the opportunities that you squandered, all the times that people talked to you and you said, "No, I don't want to hear that," all the times you laughed and all the times you scoffed and all the times you sneered when you heard the gospel. You'll remember all the times when you were in church and you heard the invitation and you dug your fingers in the seat in front of you and said, "No, I'm not going to go, not going to go, not going to go." You'll remember all that.

And you know what's interesting too about this story? It's Lazarus and the rich man. He doesn't have a name. Lazarus has a name. Why doesn't the rich man have a name? The theologians give him the name Dives because Dives is a Latin word for rich. Why doesn't he have a name? Because in hell you don't need a name. You don't have a name. You have no relationships in hell. You are in agony in the flame and there are no relationships there, no need for a name. Hell is a place of awareness and remembrance.

And thirdly, hell is a place of eternal punishment. It's eternal, it's fixed. Because Abraham goes on to say, "And besides all this," verse 26, "between us and you there is a great chasm fixed in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able and that none may cross over from there to us." Hey, once you die, things are fixed. If you die without Christ and you end up like the rich man in hell, you're going to be in there forever and ever. That's a long time to get it wrong. A long time to roll the dice on your forever.

He's never getting out of there. Don't ever think hell is not like rehab. I'm in Hades for a while but if I get better, I can get better in there and then maybe the Lord will bring me to heaven, I'll get out of hell and go to heaven. No, once you breathe your last in this life, boom, then it is fixed. See, we're on the brink of eternity. Hey, where you going? Because once you breathe your last, it is fixed and it is eternal.

Jesus said this in Mark chapter 9, "And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled than having your two hands to go into hell into the unquenchable fire where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched." It is forever and ever and ever. It's a horrible place. And lastly, hell is a place for all who refuse to listen and repent. That's what it is.

This rich man represents all those who refuse to listen, who refuse to repent. He has no faith in God's provision for his sins. He wasn't even thinking about that. He was a lover of money, just like the Pharisees, and he thought that he was going to make it into heaven and he was shocked that he finds himself in hell. You know what's interesting? Barna did a survey back about 19 years ago and they found out that most Americans, the vast majority of Americans, over 70% of Americans, they believe in a literal heaven and they believe in hell. Over 70% of Americans, this back in 2003, believe in hell.

And one half, less than one half of one percent of Americans think they're going to hell. They believe in hell; they don't think they're going to hell. Hell is for somebody else; hell is not for me. Isn't that strange because Jesus in Matthew chapter 7, he said enter by the narrow gate for the way is the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and many are those who travel the broad road that leads to destruction and the way is small and the gate is narrow that leads to life and few there be that find it.

He said, "Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness." Many will say to me on that day. Not a few, but many. And so people will be shocked to end up in hell and why are they there? Because God is mean and cruel and capricious and just said, "I don't like you. Get out of my face, you're going to hell." No, it's because they refused to believe and they refused to repent.

So Abraham says to the rich man, "I can't send Lazarus to dip a drop of water from his finger on your tongue. There's a chasm fixed. This is fixed, we can't come across." And verse 27, then he said, "I beg you, Father Abraham, that you send him to my father's house for I have five brothers that he may warn them lest they also come to this place of torment. I don't want them to come to this place. Warn them about this place. Send Lazarus."

But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them." But he said, "No," and that's an intensive, that word no, it's not just a regular no, it's like, "No, no, no, Father! If someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." He's arguing with Abraham. And Abraham says, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead." Jesus rose from the dead.

How did the religious leaders respond to that news that they got from the soldiers who were guarding the tomb? "Here's some money. You say his disciples stole away the body." He rose from the dead. No, we're not going to believe that. We're not going with that story. How about another Lazarus? John chapter 11, Jesus raises him from the dead. Well, that's amazing. Everybody should believe now. Lazarus, he whom God helps, Lazarus has been raised from the dead.

How do they respond to that undeniable miracle? "We need to kill Lazarus." He's too much testimony. He's walking evidence. He's exhibit A. Let's kill Lazarus. That's how they respond to the news that Jesus rose from the dead, that Lazarus was raised from the dead. Now what Abraham said was exactly right. If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, if they won't listen to the Word of God, you're not going to convince them if you show them a miracle.

Jesus showed the Pharisees and the religious leaders miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle. They couldn't deny the miracles, so what did they do? "How do we explain this? This guy is doing all this stuff. How can we possibly explain this? I know, he casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. He has power from hell." That was their explanation. Miracles don't do it for people. They have to respond to the Word of God.

They have to see that "I'm a sinner and I'm lost and I desperately need Jesus. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me and save me." Now there are two words in this man's soliloquy from hell, two words that really jump out. He says, "Father Abraham, I have five brothers," verse 28, "send Lazarus that he may warn them lest they come to this place of torment." I want my brothers to be warned. I don't want them to come here. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Warn them.

As I was studying this, it was like that word just leaped into my heart. That's my job. That's your job: to warn people of the wrath that is to come. That's what John the Baptist said to the religious leaders, "Who warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come?" We warn people. This is what is happening: if you reject Christ, this is where you're going to end up. And he doesn't want you to be there, and I don't want you to be there.

If a man, a woman, a boy, or girl ends up in hell, they have to trip over the cross of Christ to get there. He's not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. He desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. But if you blow him off, that is where you go. And so we warn people and we pray for folks. You have people in your family that aren't believers? They're one heartbeat away from eternal hell, to be in agony in this flame day after day after day after day.

There's no hope in hell. As Bernard Baruch once said, across the portals of hell are written these words: "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." Never a good day in hell. Every day is horrible and there's no hope of ever getting out. Warn them to not come to this place. And he says warn them so that they will repent. Verse 30, "Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." Repentance is key.

Jesus said, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." He said that in Luke chapter 13, verse 3. You say, well I would need it more than once. He says it again in Luke chapter 13, verse 5: "I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." The Apostle Paul, his message was preaching about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Those two things are critical. You can't get saved without repentance.

That is why when people try and attach their sin and say, "Well, I'm this kind of a Christian, I'm this sinning kind of a Christian, this is part of me, this is who I am," you can't get saved like that. You have to repent of sin; you have to turn from sin. You don't bring your sin to the Lord and say, "Well, Lord, you're going to accept me and my sin." He said, "I'll never do that. I hate sin. I can't have fellowship with sin. My eyes are too pure to look upon sin," as it says in the book of Habakkuk.

So if you will turn from your sin, I will save you. If you hold on to your sin, you will die in your sins. Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. That's straight Scripture. Listen: I didn't write this story, I didn't make up this story, I didn't tell you this story. I'm reading to you "Thus says the Lord." If this makes you mad, take it up with God. Some people say, "Well, I don't believe in a God who would send anyone to hell."

God doesn't send you to hell. You send yourself to hell. He's done everything to keep you from hell. But if you reject him or just ignore him—see, you don't have to shake your fist in the face of God and say, "I'll never believe in you." All you have to do is just say, "Hm, that's nice." You say with the Doobie Brothers, "Jesus is just alright with me," I'm going to keep doing my own thing, and then one day you will die and you'll find yourself in hell forever.

Jesus doesn't want anyone to go to hell. He died for you on the cross. And if you will put your faith where God put your sins, on the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be saved today.