The Reality of Hell

Luke 16:19-31

In our passage for this sermon Jesus gives a description of what happens to a person that goes to hell. We will use some of the things found in this passage as well as things found elsewhere in the Bible to show the reality of hell.

Do you really believe in hell?

It is interesting how many people say they believe in hell but do not act like they fear going there at all. Using the example of gravity we have something that is real but I cannot see it directly but I can demonstrate it by dropping something and watching it fall to the floor. Now believing in gravity and fearing it is what keeps me from heights or being close to the edge when I am up I. So, you could say that the reality of gravity affects the way I live my life. If a person believes in the realities of hell that are shown in the Bible they would live their life differently. Below we will look at some of the realities of hell.

Realities of Hell:

1)  It is a real place (Luke 16:23)

• The account of the rich man dying and going to hell is given by Jesus Christ, therefore it is true which makes every statement in this passage true.
• Jesus spoke of Hell more than he did of heaven while on earth.

2)  There is physical torment that cannot be described in Hell (Luke 16:24)

• The rich man was tormented in flames. The soul has a bodily shape but that body is not like our physical body, it can burn forever and never die but yet experience pain continually.
• Note Jesus’ warning about the soul not dying in hell (Mark 9:42-48)

3)  There is mental torment in Hell (Luke 16:25-30)

• The rich man could see Lazarus in Abraham’s Bosom. This means that he was in torments and could see someone who is not. That is mental torment. Now I realize that when Jesus was resurrected he took the O.T. saints to Heaven, but that compartment is still there and it is likely that people in hell can still see that empty compartment but cannot get there.
• Note that the rich man was told by Abraham to remember. The soul has a memory as well but it is a perfect memory unlike our physical one. I believe that one of the things someone in hell will remember is times where they had an opportunity to get saved and rejected Jesus Christ.
• The rich man was also tormented by the fact that other he cared about would come to such a place of torment.

4)  Jesus went to Hell (Acts 2:25-31)

• When Jesus died he went to both paradise and hell. The reason for him going to hell was be cause he became sin for us (1 Corinthians 5:21), therefore he must suffer everything a lost person will suffer.
• His soul suffering in Hell is what makes him the propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:25 ; Isaiah 53:10-12). Propitiation means to appease the wrath and can favor of an offended party. This is just what Jesus did for us was to appease God’s wrath on sin, and allow us to obtain the favor of God through Jesus’ sacrifice.

The reality is that hell is real and it is an awful place. But what we must really consider is that if God would send his own son to this awful place then he would not hesitate to send a person to hell who rejects what Jesus did for them.