08/22/10 - If I Die Before I Wake PT4 - Pastor Tony Ashmore

Pastor Tony Ashmore continues the series "If I Die Before I Wake" with part 4 of this Sunday service.

If I Die Before I Wake Part 4
Pastor Tony Ashmore
Sunday, August 22, 2010

www.churchatmirrorlake.com


Sermon Notes:

Hell? NO!

Luke 16:19-31 “Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus1 who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went to the place of the dead.2 There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side3. 24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ 25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.4 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ 27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.5’ 30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

1. A parable using a proper name—Lazarus and the rich man are probably real people. The story being told reflects real events with some figurative elements to make the point Jesus wants made. So we can deduct several things about these real places, yet we cannot induce doctrine.

2. Hell, or Hades, is a place for the dead—eternally dead. Jesus is confronting the belief that the grave is the end. Death is not the cessation of life on earth, it is separation from the presence of God.

3. Hell is aware of Heaven and Earth. Note the move to figurative—the rich man is aware of Heaven, but there is never any indication of response from Lazarus. Abraham’s response is a figurative response—it is simply putting words to what the rich man is knowing for the sake of the story. It also indicates that Lazarus does not see into Hell.

4. Heaven and Hell are a continuum of life on Earth. The rich man and Lazarus are not changed into “beings” who are disconnected from whatever happened here. Their life has continued—one in eternal life and one in eternal death.

5. Heaven is aware of Earth and what is happening here. Heaven’s happiness is not a result of ignorance but of perspective. Those in Heaven have the perspective of God—they know that God is at work in Earth for the good of people.

Mark 9: 47-48 “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where the maggots never die1 and the fire never goes out2.’”

Matthew 8:12 “But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness3, where there will be weeping4 and gnashing of teeth5.”

1. Continual guilt and shame. Guilt—sorry for what I did. Shame—ashamed of who I have become. Cannot forget.

2. Two things about fire—a literal fire of continual burning. A figurative fire—the same things we are passionate about on earth will continue in Heaven or Hell. It is passion. In Heaven, our passion is for God and it is fully satisfied. In Hell, passion is continued from earth and is never satisfied. It is like a drug addict who cannot get a fix.

3. So dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face, yet, you can see Heaven. Darkness and gloom so thick you can feel it crushing down on you yet there is a continual fire producing no light. Utter ‘aloneness’. Shout as loud as you can and no one hears or responds. Isolated confinement studies: panic, rage, a sense of total loss of control, emotional breakdown, regressive behavior, self-mutilation, nightmares, dizziness, lethargy, delusions and paranoia.

4. Hopelessness and sorrow. Depression that gets deeper and deeper. There is never an acclimation process. You never ‘get used to it’ or ‘learn to cope’.

5. Continual realization that you did not have to be here. Similar to the way we hit ourselves on the head, grit our teeth, and say, “I should have known better.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

- Our default destination is Hell due to the sin of one man, Adam. Any other result is not scriptural. They all sound nice, but they are not scriptural.
- Our tab has been paid. An exorbitant price—the life of God’s own Son was given so He can have relationship with us. 1 Corinthians 6:20 “…bought with a price…”
- We stand between Eden and Eternity. Genesis and Revelation are the bookends of history. (read from Alcorn’s Heaven location 1673)


So What: Life Application

1. Make sure I am on the right course. My decisions match my destination. Most importantly, to make sure my eternity in Heaven in secure.

2. The reality of Heaven and Hell gives us purpose. It should re-focus our energy and passion. I am here on purpose for Heaven’s purpose—to point the way to Heaven and serve as a roadblock to Hell. Connect on 3 levels for that purpose: to my church, to other like-minded people socially, and to my ministry for fulfillment in serving

3. Knowing I am living in the “in-between” compels me to make this life count—to make the dash between my birth and death here matter. Make choices to be a High Impact Low Maintenance Christian.