Pastor Bryan Walmer

19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate. 21 He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’ 25 ‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’ 27 ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31CSB

Hell is an existence where people will spend eternity separated from God. The existence of hell teaches us about three things:

The nature of human beings

We struggle as much with what hells says about God as we do what hell says about us.

Our nature is to be blind to our sin and when confronted to blame shift.

The need for God

Hell is our freely chosen destiny where we get what we want.

“The doors of hell are locked from the inside.” - C.S. Lewis

The love of God

God loves us so much that He took the hell we deserved on Himself so we could be redeemed.

Once you realize the bill that has been paid, there can only be one response.

All this leads us to:
Love

Humility

Proclamation