1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,880 For three of our sermon series, you've been tricked as we've made our way verse by verse 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:09,520 through the Gospel of Luke chapter number 16. 3 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:15,560 And as we have arrived in Luke chapter 16, Jesus is dealing with three common misunderstandings 4 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:17,480 of humans. 5 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:23,720 Ways in which the world or the devil has tricked you into believing that which is not so. 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:30,800 For example, in the very first sermon, we said, this truth number one, death is not the end. 7 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,880 And this is something a lot of people believe that you live, you die, and that's the end. 8 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:39,200 And in Luke chapter 16, Jesus said, no, death is not the end. 9 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,000 There's life after death. 10 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:45,880 In the second sermon last week, we looked at this trick that has been perpetrated upon 11 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,720 humanity and that is your sin, it's not that big of a deal. 12 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,360 And we said, no, your sin, my sin is a big deal. 13 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,840 And all of those truths lead to this final sermon in this sermon series. 14 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:07,600 And the sermon is entitled, life is fair. 15 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,040 Remember as a kid, life's not fair. 16 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:12,960 Some of you have kids at home right now. 17 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:17,240 It's not fair. 18 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:24,760 And in this passage, we see Jesus is teaching that says, actually, life is fair. 19 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:26,080 Really? 20 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:27,160 We're going to get to that in a moment. 21 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:28,320 Before we do, welcome. 22 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:31,360 We are glad to see each and every one of you here. 23 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:37,360 Hey, tonight is special because tonight at four o'clock, there is a special meeting for 24 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,720 those interested in joining Heather and I in the Holy Land. 25 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:45,080 We do a Holy Land tour, a study tour, if you've never had a chance to visit the Holy Land 26 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:46,080 and would like to. 27 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,120 We're going to be going in March of 2024. 28 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,840 There's going to be a group of about 40 to 50 of the members of our church going. 29 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,780 We spend about 10 days traveling the Holy Land and study tour. 30 00:01:56,780 --> 00:02:01,160 If you're interested in that, Pastor Caleb and I at four o'clock are going to be walking 31 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:05,600 through the first three to four days of the itinerary of that trip. 32 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:06,760 And we're going to be talking about it. 33 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:07,760 You'll learn some things. 34 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,960 Even if you're not going to the trip, you'll be fascinated by the locations and the geographical 35 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:13,920 study of the Holy Land. 36 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:15,480 So come to the meeting if you're interested. 37 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,200 If you come to the meeting, doesn't mean you have to go on the trip. 38 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,480 You're just learning more about the trip and the Holy Land as a whole. 39 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,800 And that's at four o'clock today. 40 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,200 You are welcome to come and be a part of that. 41 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:28,920 Life is fair. 42 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:34,200 Life is fair. 43 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,680 How many of you like I did grew up in a Christian home? 44 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,440 How many of you grew up in a Christian home? 45 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:40,440 Would you raise your hand? 46 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:41,440 How many of you did? 47 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:42,440 Okay. 48 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:43,440 I would say I'm looking around. 49 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:45,560 I'm looking at the percentage of the crowd here grew up in a Christian home. 50 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:46,560 I did. 51 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:47,840 And it wasn't just a Christian home. 52 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,960 It was a very, very religious home. 53 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:52,880 There's a lot of things we were not allowed to do. 54 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:55,440 A lot of things we were supposed to do. 55 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,800 One of the things we were not allowed to do was cursing. 56 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,400 Cursing was a big no-no in my family growing up. 57 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:02,120 How many of you experienced that? 58 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,880 Your parents were like, you're not allowed to say bad words. 59 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:06,280 How many of you had no bad words, right? 60 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:08,240 A lot of no bad words. 61 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:09,240 How many of you had parents? 62 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:10,240 Like no bad words. 63 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:11,240 Raise your hand. 64 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:12,240 How many of you are like, that's not my parents. 65 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:13,400 How many of you are like, I'm not cursing the bad words at me. 66 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:14,400 How many of you are like that? 67 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:15,400 All right. 68 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:16,400 You know, there's different differences, right? 69 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,400 How many of you had a little bit of both? 70 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,880 How many of you are like, it was kind of both, you know? 71 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:23,880 Yeah. 72 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:25,880 Don't say bad words also right at you. 73 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:26,880 Okay. 74 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:28,400 So my home, it was like no cursing. 75 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:29,400 They're all bad. 76 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,280 You're not allowed to say the bad words. 77 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,080 We weren't even allowed to watch movies with bad words. 78 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,000 We weren't even allowed to read books with cursing in it. 79 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,960 And so it was very, we weren't even allowed to say the pretend bad words. 80 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:43,960 You know what I mean? 81 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:44,960 Like, you know what? 82 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,600 How many of you know what I mean by the pretend bad words? 83 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:50,640 Like I got in trouble one time. 84 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:52,520 I got in trouble one time when I went to camp. 85 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:58,200 It was a Christian camp for saying, oh my gosh. 86 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:00,280 Gosh. 87 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,800 Did I say the D? 88 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:04,800 No. 89 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,000 Did I know? 90 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,680 At camp, they strapped me into this gyrosphere. 91 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,000 No, that's not the joke. 92 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:13,320 But they did. 93 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:14,320 It was a game. 94 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:15,480 It was a ride. 95 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:17,360 And you remember the gyrosphere, Derek? 96 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,840 And they would strap you in and you held on and they spun you this way and then they 97 00:04:20,840 --> 00:04:22,840 spun you this way and they spun you this way. 98 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:24,840 And you're all, how many of you have ever seen one of these? 99 00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:29,160 And so they strapped me in and I'm like 10 years old and I don't think they had insurance. 100 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,840 But nonetheless, they strapped me in and they spun it. 101 00:04:31,840 --> 00:04:36,360 And I screamed, oh my gosh. 102 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:41,920 Because if you say, oh my God, that's bad. 103 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:45,480 But oh my gosh. 104 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:46,480 They unstrapped me. 105 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:52,440 They took me out and I had a counselor pull me aside and they said, Joshua, don't say, 106 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,720 oh my gosh. 107 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:57,800 It's a euphemism for the name of God. 108 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,400 It's like you're cursing the name of God. 109 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,160 And I'm like, I didn't know I was cursing the name of God. 110 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:05,760 I said, what do I say? 111 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:10,040 He said, next time say, oh, toots. 112 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,560 Oh, toots. 113 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:25,760 So I'm a 10 year old kid walking around my neighborhood, playing with the neighbor kids. 114 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:30,880 And I yell out, oh, toots. 115 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:35,240 And then they put me in a trash can like they should have. 116 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,000 Like they should have. 117 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,000 So I wasn't allowed. 118 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,120 We weren't allowed to watch movies with it. 119 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,720 We weren't allowed to read books with it. 120 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:49,800 The problem was Jurassic Park came out when I was 13 years old. 121 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:51,600 And my dad loves me. 122 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:53,600 But he also doesn't like bad words. 123 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,720 But he wanted to take me to the movie that I wanted to see. 124 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,280 So he took me to see Jurassic Park. 125 00:05:57,280 --> 00:05:58,960 And I'll never forget, we sat there. 126 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:01,480 And some of you are like, I know you've told us about going to the same. 127 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,840 This was a big moment in my life. 128 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:06,320 I love Jurassic Park. 129 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:07,800 And we sat there together. 130 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,840 And while we sat there, this is true. 131 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:12,160 He would sit there and we were watching the movie Love in Every Minute. 132 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:20,360 But every time they would say a bad word, my dad would lean down and say, bad word. 133 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:21,880 Any of your Christian parents do that? 134 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:22,880 Any of you? 135 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:23,880 Yeah, there's one. 136 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:24,880 Yeah. 137 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:25,880 Yes! 138 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:26,880 He's a bad word. 139 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:27,880 And I'm like, all right, OK. 140 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:28,880 They would say a couple. 141 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:30,880 He's like, both those are bad words. 142 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:31,880 Bad word. 143 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:34,880 OK, all right. 144 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:35,880 Bad word. 145 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:36,880 Now, this is true. 146 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:39,200 And you can ask my family if this is the reality. 147 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,240 To this day, I have picked up that bad habit. 148 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,240 And as we watch movies as a family, like for real, even at this day, we'll watch Disney 149 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:47,240 Plus and some bad word. 150 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:48,480 I'll be like, bad word. 151 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,400 Now all the kids say it back to me. 152 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:51,680 Before I can say it, bad word. 153 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:56,560 So at least we all know which one the bad ones are. 154 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,040 And I wanted to read the book that Jurassic Park was based upon. 155 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:01,680 I did not know it was based upon a book. 156 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:02,960 I love the movie so much. 157 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:04,200 I'm like, I got to read the book. 158 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:08,840 So I went to the library and I found Michael Cretan's Jurassic Park. 159 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:11,960 And I took it home and I was going to use it for a book report. 160 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:16,000 And I was reading through and there is a lot of bad curse words in the book. 161 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:17,000 I didn't know. 162 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:18,000 I didn't know. 163 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:23,480 I wanted to finish the book, but I also knew that if my father saw the book with all of 164 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:25,520 the curse words, he would be a set. 165 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,400 So I had a decision to make. 166 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:28,480 What was I going to do? 167 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:29,760 And I knew what I should do. 168 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:35,480 I should take a black magic marker. 169 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:42,880 And I would didact every single, redact every single bad word in the library's copy of Jurassic 170 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:43,880 Park. 171 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:44,880 You say you did not. 172 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,880 Yes, I did. 173 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:54,640 Every time it said a bad word, I would just, for God, for God. 174 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:58,680 I just took it out, took it out, took it out, took it out all the way through the whole 175 00:07:58,680 --> 00:07:59,680 book. 176 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:05,760 I say that so that if you are in Las Vegas at a library one day and you find a Jurassic 177 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:07,200 Park, this is true. 178 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,200 It's all redacted. 179 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:10,200 That's my copy. 180 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:11,200 Just so you know. 181 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:16,880 While I was doing that, I kept coming across a phrase. 182 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:20,400 One particular character says over and over. 183 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,920 And that is God damn it. 184 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:24,840 God damn it. 185 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,200 God damn it. 186 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:28,200 God damn it. 187 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:34,720 And then multiple times, God damn you to hell. 188 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,880 And for me, growing up the way I did, that hit differently. 189 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,080 That character didn't know what he was saying. 190 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,600 The writer, Michael Crick, probably didn't know what he was saying. 191 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:49,040 Just when they read it, are not going to read it in the same way that I would. 192 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:52,840 God damn you to hell. 193 00:08:52,840 --> 00:09:00,440 And so it stuck out to me. 194 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:03,720 I've wrestled with this question ever since. 195 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:13,520 And that is, does God arbitrarily damn people to hell? 196 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:19,000 Does God damn you to hell? 197 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,080 This is not a sermon about cursing. 198 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,400 This is not to say, never say those words. 199 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:30,880 What it is to say is, does God actually do this? 200 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:36,520 And to get the answer, I want to go to Jesus himself, who is here to tell us all about 201 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:40,440 God, who is the very Son of God and God in human flesh. 202 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:48,200 And in Luke chapter 16, verses 19 and following, we get the story of God talking about damning 203 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:52,160 and talking about hell. 204 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,960 Let me just warn you before I continue. 205 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:59,480 Today's sermon is a very heavy sermon. 206 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:04,400 Today's sermon deals with a very heavy truth. 207 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:14,280 Today's sermon is a story, but one of the most dark stories in all of the Bible. 208 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:19,840 This is not a happy story like Pastor Caleb told just a few weeks ago, where a son was 209 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:24,040 lost and he ran home to the Father's house and the Father grabbed the son and said, welcome 210 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:25,040 home, my son. 211 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:26,560 Kill the fatted calf. 212 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:29,360 That is a beautiful story in the previous chapter. 213 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:34,160 This is not a story like that, though it's a story from Jesus. 214 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:39,560 In fact, if you look at the structure of Luke chapter 15, 16 and 17 for you Bible students, 215 00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:43,080 you'll find it fascinating because they're structured similarly. 216 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:49,000 There is a teaching and then a teaching and then a story to illustrate the teaching. 217 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,560 And then a teaching and then a teaching and then a story to illustrate the teaching. 218 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:55,920 And again, in 17 is teaching, a teaching story to illustrate the teaching. 219 00:10:55,920 --> 00:11:00,880 And what we arrive at in this chapter is we've already learned these truths, these teachings 220 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:02,080 from Jesus. 221 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:09,440 This is not the end, your sin is a big deal and now a story to illustrate all the teaching. 222 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,840 But it is not a nice story. 223 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:16,840 Let's go ahead and talk about this story, this heavy story. 224 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:25,120 Luke 16 and verse 19, it says, there was a certain rich man, Jesus says, who was clothed 225 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:30,240 in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 226 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,880 He describes it in great detail. 227 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:38,320 Jesus tells us about this wealthy man who not only what he wore, the best clothing available, 228 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,400 but also what he ate, the best food available. 229 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:48,040 He was wealthy, just like Jesus was talking about wealthy people earlier in the chapter. 230 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:55,920 But there was also another person in verse 20, but there was a certain beggar named Lazarus 231 00:11:55,920 --> 00:12:03,840 full of sores who laid at his gate, desiring to be fed from the crumbs that fell from the 232 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,480 rich man's table. 233 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:14,280 A rich man inside, the best clothing and the best food, a poor man outside, literally outside 234 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:20,480 of his gate, who not only had no food, he begged and wished he could just have the crumbs 235 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,720 that fell from the table of the rich man. 236 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:29,000 The Bible says his body was full of sores, meaning that he was himself was some sort 237 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:30,520 of a sick individual. 238 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:35,160 He had some sort of an illness. 239 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:41,560 Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 240 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:43,760 So I have a question, the question should be obvious. 241 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:52,080 Why didn't the rich man help the poor man? 242 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,800 Really so far we see two aspects or two people in the story. 243 00:12:55,800 --> 00:13:01,440 One person filled with pleasure, one person filled with pain, one person filled with wealth, 244 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,920 one person filled with poverty, one person seemingly who has everything, one person who 245 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:13,200 seemingly has nothing. 246 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,960 And the Bible says in verse 22 that both of them end up dying. 247 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:29,400 And the rich man also died and was buried. 248 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:31,720 Now that's interesting. 249 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:36,680 They both died, but the Bible says that the rich man died and was buried. 250 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:39,160 You say, well, wasn't the poor man buried? 251 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:42,320 Well, presumably not, or the text would have told us so. 252 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:43,320 He was a poor man. 253 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:49,600 They just took his body and threw it into the closest ravine and let him rot. 254 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:51,760 But the rich man, he had a burial. 255 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:55,280 He probably had a great memorial service, a great celebration. 256 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:58,560 All of the other people from the community who wanted to pay their respects, they were 257 00:13:58,560 --> 00:13:59,560 all there. 258 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:07,120 And so we see the rich man and the poor man both end up in the same predicament, death, 259 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,720 death, friend. 260 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:12,360 Death is the great equalizer. 261 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,320 We all end up in the same predicament. 262 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,280 We live and then we die. 263 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:19,000 But notice this. 264 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:27,400 The Bible says in verse 23, in being in torments, in Hades or hell, the man lifted up his eyes 265 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:33,120 and saw Abraham afar off in Lazarus in his bosom. 266 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:37,400 Rich man, poor man, they both die. 267 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:42,840 But what's fascinating about Jesus' story is that they both die and then they keep on 268 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:45,280 living. 269 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,440 This is a story that is pointing back to the truth from earlier in the chapter. 270 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:51,120 Death is not the end. 271 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,960 We die and then we keep living. 272 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,600 One of these people live in a place called paradise. 273 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,480 The others live in a place called Hades or hell. 274 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:03,360 And the Bible here says that he is in torments. 275 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,240 Here's the question. 276 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:09,880 Why did the rich man go to hell? 277 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:15,440 Some might say, well, he went to hell because he was the rich man. 278 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,320 And rich people deserve to go to hell. 279 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,800 Be careful, American. 280 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:25,280 Before we just presume, hell is for rich people and heaven for poor people. 281 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:26,960 That's not what the passage is teaching. 282 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:31,640 We know that as well because what is the name of paradise in this passage? 283 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:35,960 It's referred to as Abraham's bosom. 284 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:41,360 Abraham who is kind of in charge here was the wealthiest man of his day. 285 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:45,040 So Abraham, a very wealthy man, the paradise is named after. 286 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:50,920 So it's not like rich people heaven, poor people hell or hell for heaven for poor people 287 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:52,400 and rich people go to hell. 288 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,480 That's not what it's saying. 289 00:15:55,480 --> 00:16:00,600 Somewhere along the line from Jesus' previous teachings, we must get this idea that the 290 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:08,080 rich man only lived for this life and had no idea about the next life. 291 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:13,400 And the poor man didn't think as much about this life, but he put all of his investments 292 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:17,920 in the next life. 293 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:23,440 This is why, by the way, it's important to study the Bible in context to understand 294 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,520 what the Bible is actually saying. 295 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:28,760 So look at what it says in verse 24 and 25. 296 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,520 This story continues, and then he cried out and said, the rich man cries out and says, 297 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:38,360 Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger 298 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:42,400 in water and cool my tongue. 299 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:47,200 For I am tormented in this flame. 300 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,640 He's in hell and he calls out to Abraham, his father. 301 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:52,320 Why does he call him father Abraham? 302 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:57,560 Well presumably because he was of the lineage of Abraham. 303 00:16:57,560 --> 00:16:59,440 He was a son of Abraham. 304 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,920 You say how could a son of Abraham end up in hell? 305 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:02,920 Let's be very clear. 306 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:09,120 Listen, if you think because your grandfather or grandmother or father or mother is a believer 307 00:17:09,120 --> 00:17:14,920 in God that somehow that's going to get you into heaven, you are gravely mistaken. 308 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:19,560 Your family heritage has nothing to do with your eternal soul. 309 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:24,080 You say, but I grew up in a Christian family or grew up in a religious family or my genealogy 310 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:26,920 is this or my racial background is that. 311 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,520 That means nothing. 312 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:32,760 Nothing. 313 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:33,760 Be careful. 314 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:41,800 Father Abraham, yes, he says, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip 315 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,200 of his finger in water and cool my tongue. 316 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,560 For I am tormented in this flame. 317 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:47,760 Notice this as well. 318 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:53,040 He starts to pray. 319 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:58,640 Listen to me that the moment this man arrives in hell, he starts to pray. 320 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,800 Now there are some Christians who believe that only atheists go to hell. 321 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:04,960 Friend, let's be very clear. 322 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,880 There are no atheists in hell. 323 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:12,960 That's not meant to be funny. 324 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:20,000 The moment everybody who says they don't believe arrives in hell, they all believe. 325 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,080 And they all begin praying like they've never prayed before. 326 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:27,760 The problem is prayers won't work. 327 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:35,760 It won't work. 328 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:41,960 He says in verse 25, Abraham says, son, remember that in your lifetime you receive good things 329 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:48,840 and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted and thou art tormented. 330 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:53,280 Can you please just send a little bit of water and touch my tongue because I'm burning in 331 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:54,560 this flame. 332 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,280 And Abraham's response is not sure, let's send him a bottle of water. 333 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:04,440 His answer was, hey pal, fair is fair. 334 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:06,200 Life is fair. 335 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:08,360 See, what do you mean? 336 00:19:08,360 --> 00:19:09,360 This isn't fair. 337 00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:11,240 Abraham says, no, don't you understand? 338 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:14,240 Your whole life was about that life. 339 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:19,120 And now you have to live this life in the afterlife. 340 00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:22,080 But Lazarus' whole life was not about that life. 341 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,120 His whole life was about the next life. 342 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:26,880 Hey pal, fair is fair. 343 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:32,000 Life is fair. 344 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:37,560 You spend your entire life living for this life denying the next life or believing in 345 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:43,920 the next life but focusing on this life, it will show in the next life. 346 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:51,040 But those who spend their entire life focusing on the next life, it's fair according to Abraham 347 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,840 that the next life recognizes that. 348 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:56,340 Yeah? 349 00:19:56,340 --> 00:19:57,440 Isn't that what Abraham is saying? 350 00:19:57,440 --> 00:19:58,520 But of course it is. 351 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:02,400 And it's reflected back in Jesus' teachings throughout chapter 16. 352 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:06,480 Now verse 26. 353 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:12,160 Abraham says, well, fair is fair but then verse 26, besides all this, between us and 354 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:16,640 you, there's a great golf fixed so that those who would like to come and pass over to you 355 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:21,400 cannot and those who would like to come from you and pass to us cannot do so either. 356 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:23,640 He describes the underworld. 357 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:31,040 He describes what the Old Testament refers to as sheol, the grave, Hades. 358 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:38,680 It describes on one side of the underworld a great cavernous pit of burning flame, a 359 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:44,040 great chasm between the two and paradise on the other side. 360 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:45,040 That's what it describes. 361 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:47,600 You say, is that what I should expect when I die? 362 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,480 And the answer is no. 363 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,800 Say what do you mean? 364 00:20:53,800 --> 00:21:00,200 According to the scriptures, the Bible says that Jesus Christ, when he died, he was buried. 365 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:07,560 And while he was in the grave for three days, the Bible says he led those who were captive 366 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:15,440 out of their captivity and led them to the promised land or what we call heaven. 367 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:17,320 Out of Ibrahim's bosom. 368 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:22,680 The Bible gives this indication that between these two, at one point, this was a holding 369 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:25,160 tank for believers. 370 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:28,600 And once Jesus Christ rose from the grave, he descended. 371 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:34,080 He ascended out and freed those who were once believers, the Old Testament saints, and took 372 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:38,160 them to the kingdom of heaven. 373 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:44,680 Hell then expanded her borders, the Bible says, and is now the place that we know it to be 374 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:45,680 to this day. 375 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:52,600 But nonetheless, Jesus was describing what was currently during his day still happening 376 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,440 in the underworld. 377 00:21:55,440 --> 00:22:04,000 Verse 27, Then the man said, I beg you therefore, Father, that you would send him to my father's 378 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:05,000 house. 379 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:06,000 Now, stop. 380 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:12,200 Story is, Abraham, please send some water and dip the tip of your finger in water to 381 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:15,480 cool my tongue for I'm tormented in this flame. 382 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:16,480 We can't. 383 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:18,120 Look, life is fair. 384 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:19,120 Fair is fair. 385 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:20,120 He had nothing. 386 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:21,520 Now you have nothing. 387 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:22,960 He had, you had everything. 388 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:25,200 Now you have, he has everything. 389 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:26,200 Fair is fair. 390 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:27,960 Also, there's a great gulf between us. 391 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,000 If we wanted to come and help you, we couldn't. 392 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,120 And if you wanted to come to us, you can't. 393 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:36,040 So now in desperation, the man asks the question. 394 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,560 The rich man looks out and says, okay, okay, okay, okay. 395 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:46,360 I beg you, Father, please send Lazarus to my father's house. 396 00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:50,200 He remembers his family. 397 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:59,960 In hell, he remembers his family and says, for I have five brothers and I know they don't 398 00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:04,600 believe they're on the same trajectory that I am. 399 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:12,400 Send Lazarus that he may testify to them, lest they end up coming to this place of torment. 400 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:16,000 You think that's a reasonable request. 401 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:20,280 Send somebody back from the grave so that that person can tell my family so they don't 402 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:22,000 come here. 403 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,160 And Abraham's response is fascinating. 404 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:29,520 Abraham says, they have Moses. 405 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:32,000 They have the prophets. 406 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,880 Let your brothers hear them. 407 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:41,320 Now the phrase Moses and the prophets is significant as you walk through the book of Luke. 408 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:44,160 We just talked about it last week. 409 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:49,840 Moses and the prophets are talking about the scrolls of the Bible. 410 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:51,440 They have the writings of Moses. 411 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:53,440 They have the writings of the prophets. 412 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:57,560 Let them hear the Bible if they want the truth. 413 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:00,640 Please, send somebody to tell my family. 414 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:01,800 They got the Bible. 415 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,440 If they're not going to hear the Bible, they're not going to hear them if they come back from 416 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:06,440 the dead. 417 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:07,440 Why? 418 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:14,200 Because some people just choose not to believe. 419 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,000 That's exactly what Abraham goes on to say. 420 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:19,480 Look what he says in verse number 30. 421 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:22,880 No father Abraham. 422 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:28,560 And if one goes back from the dead, then they will repent, but Abraham said, look, if they 423 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:33,720 refuse to hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded even if one rises from 424 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,040 the dead. 425 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:37,040 Stop. 426 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:42,080 Let me ask you a question real quick before we continue with the sermon. 427 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:43,760 Who was it that was telling this story? 428 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:44,920 If you know it, say it out loud. 429 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,040 Who was telling the story? 430 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:48,040 Jesus. 431 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:50,160 I'm going to ask you and you tell me. 432 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,400 Who was it that was telling this story? 433 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:53,400 Jesus. 434 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:54,400 Jesus. 435 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:58,200 Who also is the person who would later die and rise from the grave? 436 00:24:58,200 --> 00:24:59,200 Who is it? 437 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:00,200 Jesus. 438 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:04,360 Interesting to me that Jesus, less than a year before he would die and rise from the grave, 439 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:08,520 says, look, even if somebody dies and rises from the grave, people who don't want to believe 440 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:13,000 won't believe. 441 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:18,040 So you might think to yourself, well, if all of this is real, I mean, the way they could 442 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,400 prove it is if somebody just died and then came back. 443 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,960 If they did die and come back and you still don't believe. 444 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:32,760 Not because it doesn't make sense, but because you choose not to believe. 445 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:34,880 You say, you seem like you're upset. 446 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:42,360 I am burdened for your eternal soul. 447 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:49,480 I am so overwhelmingly convinced that for some of you, this is the only opportunity you're 448 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:58,240 ever going to have to hear about the answer to your eternal damnation. 449 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:03,200 And so with every fiber of my being, as I was up last night and up this morning early 450 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:12,560 praying and literally weeping for you, that you would grasp the reality of what life happens 451 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:18,520 after life and that your very soul is at stake. 452 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:23,720 In this sermon, I want you to see number one, the story. 453 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:30,480 Number two, I want you to see the terror. 454 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:37,480 Now I need to address a certain kind of Christian in the room because I know as I have in past, 455 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:43,160 I will receive emails from you. 456 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,200 And it comes from a very sincere place. 457 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:46,960 I know it does. 458 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:52,880 Pastor, I love the church, but when you start talking about hell, it makes me uncomfortable. 459 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:56,840 And when you start talking about hell, it's going to keep people from Jesus. 460 00:26:56,840 --> 00:26:57,840 Let me be very clear. 461 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:07,360 If you have to send me an email, send Jesus an email too. 462 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:14,120 I'm only preaching verse by verse through the teachings of Jesus. 463 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:20,040 And the reason Jesus brought up hell is because he knew it was real and he didn't want people 464 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,000 to go there. 465 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:25,800 It's not me who lacks compassion for the lost. 466 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:30,880 It's the Christian who refuses to talk about the reality of the afterlife, who has no compassion 467 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:37,000 for the lost. 468 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:42,360 Hell is real, friend, and it's terrible, and it's terrifying. 469 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:44,360 They say, what's so terrible about hell? 470 00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:47,720 A couple things we see in the passage. 471 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:53,600 We first see that in hell, there is no forgetting. 472 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:56,480 There's no forgetting. 473 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:01,760 Who you are now is who you will be in the afterlife. 474 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,120 You're still you. 475 00:28:04,120 --> 00:28:08,280 Whether you're in heaven or you're in hell, it's still you. 476 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:12,120 I had somebody recently after I preached on heaven ask a sincere question. 477 00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:16,120 He said, pastor, you give the idea that in heaven, we still kind of have all of our memories 478 00:28:16,120 --> 00:28:18,080 of what took place in the previous life. 479 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,400 Of course you do. 480 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:21,560 It's not a blank slate. 481 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,320 They don't wipe everything clean. 482 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,040 It's not like you're in men in black and all of a sudden at the gates of heaven, they 483 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:31,520 press a button, you're like, who am I? 484 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:34,200 This is, you have your memories. 485 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:38,280 And in hell, what is terrifying is that you have your memories. 486 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:43,040 You will remember, and I am naive to think that there aren't people in this room right 487 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:47,160 now who choose to reject Jesus Christ. 488 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:51,560 And as you reject Jesus Christ, when you die in your sin, you will die and you will go 489 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:53,400 to hell. 490 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,560 You need to understand you will not lose your memories. 491 00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:02,400 And one of the things that you will remember is this moment. 492 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:06,240 As you rejected the offer of Jesus Christ. 493 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:11,960 And unfortunately you'll remember every opportunity you had to repent and receive Jesus for eternity. 494 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:17,040 You'll remember it. 495 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:21,640 Not only will you remember every opportunity, you're going to remember every family member 496 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:25,120 and friend. 497 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:30,880 Send somebody to tell my brothers, I wonder how many times the rich man mocked Moses, 498 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:37,120 mocked the prophets, and mocked the truth of Jesus in front of those same brothers. 499 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:41,640 I wonder in hell how much torment he had to think through because he's like, oh, they 500 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:46,400 got to know, I told him it's all baloney, it's all fake, it's not real, this is ridiculous, 501 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,600 we're a modern family, we're a modern perspective. 502 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,360 We don't believe these backward stories. 503 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:56,840 I wonder how many times he had to remember in hell for eternity. 504 00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:05,000 Not only his lost opportunities, but leading his own family to unbelief and hell. 505 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:13,840 By the way, he is still there this morning. 506 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:19,720 Because the terror of hell is not only that you remember everything, there is no forgetting, 507 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:23,400 there also is no relief. 508 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:27,240 There's no relief. 509 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:35,520 Dip the tip of your finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame, 510 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:42,960 burning yet not burned up. 511 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:49,120 The torments of hell are fire and brimstone. 512 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:54,200 Even if our modern society likes to put their fingers in their ears and say, we're smarter 513 00:30:54,200 --> 00:31:00,160 than that, okay, good luck. 514 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:05,920 There's no relief because of the fire, by the way, there's no relief because of friends. 515 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:09,400 There was a famous celebrity who years ago said, I don't mind going to hell, that's where 516 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:11,040 all my friends are. 517 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:15,400 Hey, pal, you're not going to see your friends. 518 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,200 Hell is described like a prison. 519 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:21,360 Meaning you have your cell. 520 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:23,680 There's no yard time. 521 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:24,680 There's no hanging out. 522 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:28,280 There's no getting around and playing cards and cursing God. 523 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:36,080 It's you and the fire, and that's it. 524 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:41,240 The biggest terror of no relief is that you are separated from God. 525 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:48,360 Now, when I say separated from God, the unbeliever might think, finally, no God in my life. 526 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:52,320 That's the person I'm angry with anyway because of what they did and who they are. 527 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:58,000 No, it's not that there's no God as his presence is not there, for the Bible is very clear 528 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,080 about the omnipresence of God. 529 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:01,360 God is everywhere. 530 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,840 The psalmist said, I ascend into the clouds and you are there. 531 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:07,080 I descend into the earth and to hell and you are there. 532 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:12,600 God is still everywhere, he still has dominion over everything. 533 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:17,720 It's not that you have escaped the judgment of God, it's that you have escaped the mercy 534 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,280 of God. 535 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,120 God's mercy is no there. 536 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:29,480 It's not like the borders of hell have signs that say, no God allowed, no God is there. 537 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:33,920 The borders of hell have a sign that say, no grace from God here. 538 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:37,320 You say, well, big deal, I haven't experienced the grace of God. 539 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:40,720 Oh, yes, you have far more than you realize. 540 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:43,160 Theologians call it common grace. 541 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:47,120 Say, what is common grace? 542 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:52,640 Special grace is God giving to his children because he loves his children, believers. 543 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:59,600 But common grace is that God gives us blessings and he gives blessings to everyone. 544 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:01,000 The Bible says it this way. 545 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:05,800 The sun shines upon the just and the unjust. 546 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:11,520 The rain pours upon the believing farmer and the unbelieving farmer. 547 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,200 It doesn't matter if you believe in God or you curse his name. 548 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:17,200 You'll find a night where you could walk around your neighborhood and look around and say, 549 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:18,640 this place is amazing. 550 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:19,640 This is beautiful. 551 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:22,440 You'll have a relationship that brings you joy and happiness. 552 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:30,040 You have experienced what's called common grace, the mercy of God that you don't deserve. 553 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:32,520 Joy that you never earned. 554 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:37,080 But in hell, all of that is gone. 555 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:38,080 There's no mercy. 556 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:39,080 There's no grace. 557 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:40,840 There's no goodness of God there. 558 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:47,440 You are without God forever. 559 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:48,440 There is no forgetting. 560 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:49,440 There is no relief. 561 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:50,440 There is no escape. 562 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:54,360 There is no escape. 563 00:33:54,360 --> 00:34:02,600 God has created a fairy tale called reincarnation, this idea that maybe after this life I'm born 564 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:05,720 into the next and then I get another shot and another shot and another shot. 565 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:10,960 Isn't that a beautiful fairy tale created by the devil and his demons to convince you? 566 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:11,960 Yeah, die. 567 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:12,960 You'll be fine. 568 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:17,960 You get another shot later and then you arrive in the next shot and you realize that's it. 569 00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:19,720 You say, why do you believe that? 570 00:34:19,720 --> 00:34:20,720 Here's why. 571 00:34:20,720 --> 00:34:21,720 Because I believe what Jesus said. 572 00:34:21,720 --> 00:34:22,720 What do you believe? 573 00:34:22,720 --> 00:34:28,920 Like, it's totally fine if you want to put the words of Jesus against any other teacher. 574 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:29,920 Go for it. 575 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:34,160 I'm sitting with Jesus on this one. 576 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:37,520 You got to sit with somebody. 577 00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:43,560 No forgetting, no relief, no escape, no communication. 578 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:49,200 There are no messages being sent back from hell. 579 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:50,320 He tried. 580 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,360 Send somebody to tell my brothers, don't come to this place. 581 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:56,440 There's no message. 582 00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:01,440 Somewhere we get the idea that our dead relatives are somehow communicating with us from hell 583 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,240 or heaven or beyond the grave. 584 00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:04,240 They're not communicating. 585 00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:07,800 And now I'm careful here because I know that some of you, I love you, but some of you, 586 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:15,120 this is going to be hard to hear and we're going to burst your bubble a little bit theologically. 587 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:18,560 There's no messages from them. 588 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:22,440 The message they want you to hear has already been written down. 589 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,440 It's called Moses and the Prophets. 590 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:28,880 That's what they're pointing you to. 591 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:30,240 You say, but I want to speak to them. 592 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:35,880 You will one day, if you die and go to heaven, to be with them. 593 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:38,680 There's no communication. 594 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:39,680 There's no forgetting. 595 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:40,680 There's no relief. 596 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:41,680 There's no escape. 597 00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:42,680 There's no communication. 598 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:44,360 Lastly, there's no unfairness. 599 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:47,040 There's no unfairness. 600 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:51,880 There's nobody in hell that can cry out, this is not fair. 601 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,720 No, it's fair. 602 00:35:53,720 --> 00:36:01,280 You got what you wanted in your life and now this is what happens. 603 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:04,600 Life is fair. 604 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,280 You want to reject God's offer. 605 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:07,680 You want to reject Jesus Christ. 606 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:09,400 You want to go your own way. 607 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:10,400 Fantastic. 608 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:15,080 But you will not be able to stand up in front of God, the judge and say, you're the one 609 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:16,400 on trial. 610 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:17,600 You can do that now. 611 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:19,600 This is what mankind does. 612 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,640 Mankind puts God on trial and says, how dare you? 613 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:28,440 And what God's going to do is bring you before him and say, let's talk about your sin. 614 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:32,280 Your sin. 615 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:34,840 Your sin will damn you to hell. 616 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:36,360 You say, well, I'm not that bad of a sinner. 617 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:38,640 Neither was this guy. 618 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:40,560 He wasn't. 619 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:44,920 He walked by a homeless guy a few times. 620 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:50,280 I mean, he was nice enough to allow the homeless guy to stay on his gate. 621 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:52,600 Maybe from the rich man's perspective, he's like, I mean, come on. 622 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,480 I mean, I could take one of my guards and shoo him away, but I allow him to beg with all my 623 00:36:56,480 --> 00:36:58,000 rich friends coming by. 624 00:36:58,000 --> 00:36:59,600 He makes a living off of me. 625 00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:01,920 Wasn't that bad of a guy? 626 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:04,480 He's not a monster, this guy in hell. 627 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:06,360 In fact, he's such a loving person. 628 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:10,560 He's thinking about his family, not wanting them to come here. 629 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:16,040 See, somewhere we've gotten this idea that bad people go to hell and good people go to 630 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:17,040 heaven. 631 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,520 No friend. 632 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:24,680 Sinners go to hell and save people go to heaven. 633 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:25,960 You say, well, that's a problem. 634 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:27,000 Why is it a problem? 635 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,000 Because I'm a sinner. 636 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:30,000 Yep. 637 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:31,000 Yes. 638 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:35,400 Romans chapter 10 says, as it is written, there is none righteous. 639 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:38,360 No, not one. 640 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:40,400 You're in the belt with everybody else. 641 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:43,560 You're a sinner who deserves to be damned. 642 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:47,720 Romans chapter three, verse 23 says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of 643 00:37:47,720 --> 00:37:49,520 God. 644 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:52,480 Your sin demands a payment. 645 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:57,740 Romans chapter six, verse 23 says, for the wages of sin is death. 646 00:37:57,740 --> 00:38:03,080 What you earned, your wage for your sin is death. 647 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:06,800 And Revelation chapter 21 of verse eight tells you what that death is. 648 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:08,660 Look what it says at the bottom of the verse. 649 00:38:08,660 --> 00:38:10,600 This is the second death. 650 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:12,440 What is the second death? 651 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:13,920 Fire and brimstone. 652 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:16,280 Who gets fire and brimstone for their second death? 653 00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:17,640 Here it is, the list. 654 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:20,760 Those who are cowardly, sin. 655 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,320 Those who are unbelieving, sin. 656 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:26,240 Those who do abominable things, sin. 657 00:38:26,240 --> 00:38:28,320 Murderers, sin. 658 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:30,120 Sexually immoral, sin. 659 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:32,000 Sorcery, sin. 660 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,800 Idolaters, sin. 661 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:37,360 Liars. 662 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,880 Sin. 663 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:43,240 All of them will have their place. 664 00:38:43,240 --> 00:38:45,360 They'll have their sale. 665 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:50,120 They'll have their prison sentence in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. 666 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:51,440 This is the second death. 667 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:54,800 This is the teaching of the Bible. 668 00:38:54,800 --> 00:39:01,040 And in case you're not aware, none of us are happy about this idea. 669 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:04,760 I am not one of those guys up here saying, glory to God, the bad people are going to 670 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:05,760 hell. 671 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:09,160 I have wept over this sermon. 672 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:12,920 And I'm scared more than maybe some of you are for your own soul. 673 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:16,280 I'm terrified for you. 674 00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:21,760 Say, why aren't you terrified for yourself, Josh? 675 00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:23,400 Because you're so good? 676 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:24,400 No. 677 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:30,040 No, because I deserve hell probably more than any of you. 678 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:33,760 But I've been saved. 679 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:38,120 You see, I discovered the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 680 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:43,120 I repented of my sin and I received him as Savior, and now I'm going to heaven when I 681 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:46,640 die. 682 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,560 And so can you. 683 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:51,080 See that's the third part of the sermon. 684 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:53,440 The story, the terror. 685 00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:56,840 Number three, the good news. 686 00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:57,840 The good news. 687 00:39:57,840 --> 00:39:59,760 That was awesome. 688 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:07,760 Either he's excited about the gospel or he's thinking he's going to lunch soon. 689 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:13,800 Yay, it's about time. 690 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:18,240 This guy won't stop. 691 00:40:18,240 --> 00:40:20,480 What is the good news of the gospel? 692 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:22,120 Here's the good news of the gospel. 693 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:27,600 Though all of this is true, God doesn't want to damn you to hell. 694 00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:30,000 He doesn't want to. 695 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:32,560 It's not his desire. 696 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:39,240 That's what Jesus was saying in John chapter 3, for God so loved the world that he gave 697 00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:43,240 his only begotten Son. 698 00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:48,720 The whosoever, no matter who you are, if you believe in Christ, if you put your faith in 699 00:40:48,720 --> 00:40:51,120 Jesus Christ, you'll be saved. 700 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:53,680 Jesus, he's a bad person. 701 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:57,400 The Son came not into the world to condemn the world. 702 00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,520 Christ did not come to condemn you. 703 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:04,160 It's not God who wants to damn you. 704 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:07,640 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through 705 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:11,000 him might be saved. 706 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:17,480 Jesus Christ knew that your sin had to be paid for, so he died upon the cross and shed 707 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:25,480 his blood to pay for your sin so that you would not have to die and go to hell. 708 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,480 He wants to save you. 709 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:32,200 You say, well, then what do I need to do to receive the salvation from God? 710 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:44,080 Well, what it says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved. 711 00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:54,200 Sadly, sadly people will choose to go to hell. 712 00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:59,960 God, damn you to hell. 713 00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:01,560 No, no friend. 714 00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:05,120 God did everything he could to save your wretched soul. 715 00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:09,680 Your rejection of him and apathy about the next life damns you to hell. 716 00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:13,560 You choose hell. 717 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:22,840 Shockingly, it's true, even though somebody rising from the dead, even somebody rising 718 00:42:22,840 --> 00:42:28,240 from the dead didn't change your mind, which is exactly what Jesus would go on to do about 719 00:42:28,240 --> 00:42:32,480 nine months later. 720 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:38,680 See nothing can change you until you decide, I'm wrong. 721 00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:40,680 I admit it. 722 00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:41,680 I'm a sinner. 723 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:43,680 I need a savior. 724 00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:44,680 I've mocked it. 725 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:45,680 I've made fun of it. 726 00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:46,680 I haven't made fun of it. 727 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:49,880 I've just ignored it, done my own thing. 728 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:53,320 Now is the day of repentance, yeah? 729 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:54,320 Look at me. 730 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:56,960 Don't ignore the warning from God. 731 00:42:56,960 --> 00:42:58,880 Look at me. 732 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:01,840 You don't know better than everybody. 733 00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:06,240 You certainly don't know better than Jesus. 734 00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:11,760 Otherwise you're going to make the same mistake that Harry Truman made. 735 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:14,000 Harry Truman? 736 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:16,760 Not the one you're thinking of. 737 00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:19,080 There's another Harry. 738 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:30,360 He was a well-known business owner who owned a lodge right outside of Mount St. Helen. 739 00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:34,480 Now for some of you may not know this, but you can look it up in your history books at 740 00:43:34,480 --> 00:43:41,360 this point, but the scientists began to go to the entire region around Mount St. Helen's 741 00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:47,520 and say, hey, look, this mountain is a volcano and it's going to blow. 742 00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:53,640 And we can see the seismic activity so badly and so obviously you've got to get out of here. 743 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:55,760 And so they began to evacuate. 744 00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:58,840 But because we live in America and it's the land of the free, home of the brave, can I 745 00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:00,760 get an amen? 746 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:04,640 People can choose what they're going to do. 747 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:07,680 And one such man, Harry, Harry Truman, refused. 748 00:44:07,680 --> 00:44:10,360 He said, ah, it's a bunch of bologna. 749 00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:13,240 And he actually became a bit of a celebrity. 750 00:44:13,240 --> 00:44:15,600 You can read newspaper articles of the time. 751 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:18,680 You can watch old clips on television interviews. 752 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:22,440 And everybody was like, this guy is awesome because we as Americans love the one guy who 753 00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:23,960 says, I'm not following the crowd. 754 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:25,040 I do what I want. 755 00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:27,000 They don't know what they're talking about. 756 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:32,040 And so the scientists themselves arrived at his door and they're like, bro, you got to 757 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:33,040 get out of here. 758 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:34,040 That's right. 759 00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:42,720 The scientists said, bro, police came and said, men, you've got to get out of here. 760 00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:48,080 His family and his friends arrived at his door and said, you only have days left. 761 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:51,960 But he said, I'm going to be fine. 762 00:44:51,960 --> 00:45:06,480 And when Mount St. Helens erupted, the lava flow literally went over his entire residence. 763 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:12,680 I'm warning you. 764 00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:14,000 And maybe you know better.