Luke 16:22-28 (NKJV)22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

Luke 16:22-28 (NKJV)

25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

Luke 16:22-28 (NKJV)

27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’

It’ll Work Now, But Not Later

Luke 16:22-28

Eternal Condemnation Hell is a subject we don’t like to

talk about that much We really don’t like to think about

it either However, it can be quite the

motivator to live our lives right

Eternal Condemnation There are also some things that

we can learn from it as well Obviously it’s a place of torment

for those who choose to go there Some of what we learn comes

from Luke 16 and the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus

Eternal Condemnation There are actually some things

we see that are in hell that we need to have while here upon this earth

Obviously in hell it is too late, but if we can have these things now, then we may not suffer the same fate

Here they are…

Tears Luke 16:23-24 – “And being in

torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried…”

Matt. 8:12 – “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Tears There will be tears in hell, but

they will be all too late That is why we need tears now,

while we still have an opportunity to think seriously about our spiritual condition

Our sins should cause us grief, cause us to weep over them

Tears Ps. 126:5-6 – “Those who sow in

tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

We must put our hearts in what we do

Tears Paul certainly did that Acts 20:31 – “Therefore watch,

and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”

Paul took his work seriously and because of that he knew where he stood with God

Tears It means we must do the right thing

in love even in times of conflict and trouble

II Cor. 2:4 – “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.”

Prayer Luke 16:27 – “Then he said, ‘I

pray…’” Again, any prayer or request

made in hell is too little too late Jesus said He would give us

whatever we asked, but that only goes for those who are still here upon the earth

Prayer Prayer is a vital part of the church The first century church believed in

it Acts 2:42 – “And they continued

steadfastly…in prayers.” I Thess. 5:17 – “pray without

ceasing” Acts 12:12 – corporate prayer

Prayer Prayer is a means to ask God for

forgiveness of sins (Js. 5:15) Obviously having our sins

forgiven goes a long way in keeping us out of hell

Too bad that the Rich Man didn’t begin to do such until it was too late

Prayer Our prayer life is a pretty good

mirror of our spiritual life in general

If we are praying as we should, then we are probably on the right path spiritually

Don’t wait until it’s too late to make prayer a priority

Concern For The Lost Luke 16:28 – “for I have five

brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.”

The Rich Man had concern for the lost…but not until after he realized his eternal fate

At that point there was nothing that could be done

Concern For The Lost Personal contact with loved ones is

really the best way to reach someone who is lost

This passage teaches that However, we shouldn’t wait,

otherwise it may be too late for them or us

“You Never Mentioned Him To Me”

Concern For The Lost If we want to be a powerful

church for the Lord we need to do 3 things:• Capture the reality of hell

• Realize our life is not ours to live but God’s to control

• Place our hearts and lives within the framework of the church that Jesus loved and died for