For the past forty years I have tried to preach "Hell" out of the Church. Realizing that Hell is the payment for sin and that it is a place God prepared for Satan and his followers, we should be abhorred at the thought of something from Hell being in the Church. However, today is different! I want to talk to you about some things in Hell that NEED to be in the Church.
We read a story, in Luke sixteen, of a man who went to Hell. This is not my favorite story in the Bible. In fact, I must admit it is one I do not like nor do I read it very often. It makes me feel very uncomfortable. Usually if I preach from it I am preaching to sinners who are in danger of missing out with God. Yet there is a vital lesson for the Church to learn from in this story. There is a message of what the Church needs that is seen in Hell.
We find a rich man and a beggar. The beggar laid at the gate of the rich man. The rich man fared well. He had plenty to eat, drink, a nice house and fine clothes. The beggar would have liked to have just had some of the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Instead he only had dogs licking his sores.
Our next scene shows us the beggar being taken away to be with Abraham in the place for the righteous. The rich man is also taken away but finds himself in Hell suffering great torment.
It is at this point that we are taken to the threshold of Hell and allowed to witness one of the most horrific and yet one of the most enlightening conversation that could ever take place. The rich man sees Lazarus, the beggar, with Abraham and asks that he might come and bring him comfort. This small wish is denied. He then asks that Lazarus might return to life and testify to the brethren the rich man had left behind, to warn them away from this place of torment. Again, the request is denied.
In Hell there are five things that should be in the Church. Five things we can see here that we need to pray should become part of our lives. Five things we need to pray out of Hell and into the Church.
In this day, we, the Church, need to have a Vision of Heaven. If we could only get a vision of heaven of the hope that is really there, we would have to share it with others. It is not just about the streets of gold, but it is the place where Jesus is. It is a place where there’s eternal hope and peace. We need to have a Vision of Heaven.
We, the Church, need to have a "Burden for the Lost." If we really have His Spirit, we should embrace His purpose. He came to seek and to save the lost. The rich man had a tremendous burden for those he knew were lost.
We, the Church, need to have a "Great Love for Our Brother." Do we realize that the scripture tells us that when we comfort a Brother we are saving a soul from Hell? (Jude 22-23; 1John 4:20-21) We can’t even say we love God, who we cannot see, if we don’t love our Brother whom we can see.
The Church needs to embrace the realization that "No Cost Is Too Great!" There was nothing that seemed ridiculous to the rich man. He didn’t care whom he inconvenienced or bothered. There were people lost and no cost was too great to reach them with salvation!
The final thing the Church needs that are in Hell is a "Sense of Urgency!" We need to realize His coming is soon, feel the urgency of the hour! Each obituary we read is a testimony that one more person has lost the opportunity to experience salvation for themselves. The events of our world let us know that His coming is getting closer with each tick of the clock. We can no longer sit back and just be glad we are "saved!" We must realize that our being saved is tied to our love for others.
Yes, Hell does have five things that the Church really needs in the 21st Century. We need a "Vision of Heaven," "A Burden for the Lost," "A Love for our Brother," "A Willingness to Pay the Cost,’ and "A Sense of Urgency!" Give it a try . . .
It’s just a thought! God Bless . . .
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