The Reality of Hell - 2/22/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch

Welcome to the podcast of Meadows

Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North

Carolina. We're so glad you joined us

today. If you enjoy today's message, be

sure to subscribe, follow, and share

with your friends. Now, let's join

Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from

God.

>> Oh my. I'm telling you, I'm thankful

>> in the middle of our mess.

>> Yeah,

>> boy. We can make some big ones, can't

we?

>> Amen.

>> He's there. I bless his name for it.

Hallelujah. If you have a Bible, invite

you to stand with me. Turn with me to

the book of Luke. Luke's Gospel, chapter

number 16.

Luke's Gospel, chapter number 16. Stand

with me in honor of the reading of God's

word.

Luke's Gospel chapter number 16.

And uh

Amen.

Appreciate you being here in the house

of the Lord today. And uh

somebody back there is if they come if

they done coming. Got Sister Sherry.

Everything all right with that? Good.

All right. Y'all remember her in prayer?

And I pray the Lord will help her. Just

having some chest pain. and pray God

will touch her and uh and I know she'd

say, "Preach, preacher." And so, let's

preach this morning. And you pray for us

that God will help us. And uh I tell you

what, God knows what we need.

>> Amen.

>> And uh you know, here's something just

dawned on me a little while ago, though.

You know what the devil does, too?

>> Come on.

>> He knows exactly what we need, and he'll

do everything he can to keep you from

getting it.

>> That's exactly right.

>> Amen. and you need help this morning,

you better get it. Amen.

>> Right.

>> Luke's Gospel chapter 16. I want to read

verse number 19.

Few verses here. Verse 19 down through

uh close to the end of the chapter. The

Bible says in verse number 19 of Luke

chapter number 16, there was a certain

rich man which was clothed in purple and

fine linen and fared sumptuously every

day. There was a certain beggar named

Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full

of sores, and desiring to be fed with

the crumbs which fell from the rich

man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and

licked his sores. And it came to pass

that the beggar died, was carried by the

angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich

man also died, and was buried. And in

hell he lift up his eyes being in

torments and seeth Abraham a far off and

Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and

said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me

and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip

of his finger in water and cool my

tongue, for I'm tormented in this

flame." But Abraham said, "Son, remember

that thou in thy lifetime received us

thy good things. Likewise Lazarus evil

things, but now he is comforted, and

thou art tormented. And beside all this,

between us and you there is a great gull

fixed, so that they which would pass

from hence to you cannot, neither can

they pass to us that would come from

then. Then he said,"I pray thee

therefore, Father, that thou would

ascend him to my father's house, for I

have five brethren, that he may testify

unto them, lest they also come into this

place of torment." Abraham saith unto

him, They have Moses and the prophets.

Let them hear them." And he said, "Nay,

Father Abraham, but if one went unto

them from the dead, they will repent."

And he said unto him, "If they hear not

Moses and the prophets, neither will

they be persuaded,

though one rose from the dead." Now,

Father, I ask you this morning humbly

for just a moment, God, that you would

help us, Lord. I'm aware, Father, of the

spirit of this meeting, God. I'm aware

of the presence of the Holy Ghost right

now. And I'm also aware of the

convicting power. Lord, you're already

dealing with somebody's heart.

And God, I pray right now, Father, Lord,

if they know their loss, God, I pray

they'd get out of their seat and run to

this altar. And I pray that they'd get

saved this morning. And Lord, I pray

through the preaching of God's word,

Father, that you would give us all a

renewed desire, a renewed fervor to win

the lost. God, I realize, Father, that

Lord, we grow cold at times and we lose

our zeal, Father, concerning them that

are lost. But I pray for those of us who

are saved this morning that we'll get a

reminder where those many of us Lord

have that are near and dear to us God

will be headed Lord if they die because

they do not know you. And Lord I pray

father this morning that you would give

us grace. Fill us with uncction. Give us

liberty. And Lord I pray for that lost

soul that's in our midst today. I pray

father God today it may be their last

chance. And Lord, I pray, Father, you'd

help me as your servant to do my very

best for you, God. Help us give us

uncction and liberty, get glory to

yourself, and we'll thank you for what

you do because we ask it in Jesus' name.

Amen. You can be seated. Thank you for

standing.

The Bible says in Luke's gospel chapter

16 and verse number 23, "And in hell he

lift up his eyes being in torments." And

I want to preach for just a little while

this morning with the help of the Lord

on the reality of hell.

>> The reality

of hell. And I was praying this about

this service today and asking the Lord

to give me wisdom. I had another way

that I wanted to go this morning. But I

just believe this is where God would

have us to be. I I think that we have

many churches in this day and time have

lost this left this doctrine behind.

They've not lost it. It's It's still in

the Bible. Somebody say, "Amen."

>> Amen.

>> But we've left it behind and we've

forgotten seemingly the emphasis that

the Bible places on the subject of hell.

Now, when I consider this text, of

course, we think about the people. We

think about the rich man and Lazarus. Of

course, the rich man representing the

Pharisee and then Lazarus representing

those publicans and sinners. Much like

the story that Jesus told about the

publican and the Pharisee that were

praying and that Pharisee went in there

praying and his chest puffed out talking

to the Lord about how much he gives and

how much he does and all that he is for

God. But that publican couldn't even

lift up his eyes but smote upon his

breast. The Bible says and what he say

Lord be merciful unto me a sinner. And

what Jesus say? He said that man went

away justified. And I'll say this. If

you know you're a sinner this morning,

that's the first step. Amen. If you know

that you ain't got it together, and you

know that you've failed and fallen

short, that you've missed the mark, let

me say you're in a good place this

morning. Amen. Because I can tell you

for a fact that if you know you have a

need, I know the one that can meet your

need. Amen. And Jesus in this text is

dealing with these Pharisees. Of course,

we know that they're not going to

receive his message. But Peter says in

the book of Acts that they crucified the

Lord of glory because they didn't know.

They had no idea what they were doing.

But willfully they decided that they

would crucify Jesus. And you say,

"Preacher, Jesus went willingly to the

cross." Yes, he did. But God used man to

put him on that cross and they decided

to put him there. Amen. And let me say

this to you this morning. You can sit in

this service or a thousand more

services. But until you decide and

realize that you do have a problem and

you're willing to accept the fix for

that problem, you will one day die lost

in your SINS AND YOU WILL go to a place

called hell. Amen.

>> Those Pharisees, many of them, even

though Jesus interceded on their behalf

time and time again to the father, many

of them still died and went to hell. And

I'd say this this morning, I'd hate to

know as your pastor how many of you that

I've prayed for and how many prayers

I've prayed for you, but yet you'll

still die and go to hell one of these

days. You got to realize, friend, you

say, "Preacher, you've not been my

pastor that long, but what about all the

other pastors that you've had down

through the years that prayed for you

and preached to you and and guarded your

soul for the best of their power, but

you refuse to accept the truth of the

fact that you're lost." Amen. Amen.

>> What a vain tragedy it would be.

>> Amen.

>> And when I think about this text, I

think about the fact that this is a

literal account. These are two real

people. And I'll say this, I say this

every time I preach it. I've preached

this text probably five or six times

here at the church. And I say this every

time that I preach it, that it was not

the riches of the rich man that

condemned him to hell. And it was not

the poorness of Lazarus that allowed him

into heaven. It has nothing to do with

money. this morning. But it has

everything to do with the fact with what

their faith was in. You see, that rich

man trusted his money. That rich man

trusted his wealth and refused to trust

Jesus Christ. But let me say this.

Lazarus had nothing else to trust in.

Amen. He was poor and beggarly. And so,

you know what he did? He decided that he

would trust the Lord. And you say,

"Preacher, well, that's not in the

text." Well, I'll tell you what is in

the text. The Bible says that he made it

into heaven. Amen. and the rich man

found himself in hell. I want to give

you these three thoughts here this

morning by way of introduction then I'll

give you the message here. I want to say

this number one and it is the message

this morning. Number one, hell is a real

place.

>> These were real people and hell in this

text is a real place. It's a place where

those that reject God will spend their

eternal abode. place where those that

turned their back on the word of God and

the mission that Christ came to save,

they refuse his salvation and they will

end up in this place because it is a

real place designed for the devil and

his angels and all those that would

follow in the steps of the devil. But

let me say this, it's the question

that's on many people's minds this

morning. Not only hell is a real place,

but I'll say this, hell is right.

>> Amen.

>> Amen. Hell is a place where sinners who

deserve to go there,

>> Amen.

>> go. You're

>> right.

>> You say, "Preacher, that's awful harsh

this morning." Well, let me say the

truth to you is this. This morning,

every one of us deserve to go there.

>> Right.

>> Hell is right. YOU SAY, "PREACHER, HOW

COULD A LOVING GOD, HOW HOW COULD GOD

SAY HE LOVES ME and yet still send me to

hell?" Let me ask you this. How could

you turn away a loving God and his

salvation and refuse his offer when he

says accept me, receive my gift and you

CAN ESCAPE HELL? IT'S NOT THE QUESTION

of whether a loving God would send

someone to hell. The question IS WHY

WOULD YOU NOT RECEIVE his offer this

morning?

>> Amen.

>> God is perfectly holy

>> and perfectly righteous and sin demands

justice.

>> Amen.

>> Amen. All the people several years ago

in this country that was crying out for

justice for the wicked in this country,

I'll tell you what, what they got was

mercy is what they got. You're

>> right.

>> And every person that cries out for

justice for somebody on this side, you

just know if people really knew the

truth about us, hey friends, you'd know

we'd want to hide oursel. Amen.

>> That's exactly right this morning. If we

were to display your sins on this

screen, if we were to display my sins on

this screen, there ain't a soul of us,

one of us here that would leave without

blushing this morning.

>> We all deserve to die and go to hell.

But I'm thank thankful, hallelujah, for

the mercy of and grace of almighty God.

That there is hope for the hopeless.

Amen. Thankful this morning that hell,

it is right. BUT LET ME SAY JESUS is

right for that wrong place in your life.

And he CAN TAKE HELL FROM YOU. AMEN.

>> Hell is real. Hell is right. But I'll

say this. Hell's revealed in this text.

It's revealed. You see, nowhere in

scripture is there a greater picture of

this place called hell than in this

text. We dealt with this in Sunday

school this morning. Some Old Testament

illustrations. We talked about hell

there in Sodom and Gomorrah for Genesis

chapter number 19. And then we talked

about man trying to make hell there in

the book of Daniel where they threw

those he three Hebrew boys in that fire.

And I'll say this, there's no fire hot

enough on this side. Amen. To condemn

the saved. Somebody say amen. There's no

fire hot enough. There's no trial deep

enough or dark enough to take out the

life of those that love God and know

God. Because in the midst of that

man-made hell, Jesus showed up. Amen.

Jesus stepped foot in that fire. And

there wasn't just three, but there was a

fourth man. And what did he say? He said

he's like the son of God. Amen. And I'm

so thankful. And hallelujah. THE WORST

PLACE THAT we could find oursel in this

life, Jesus will still be there beside

us. Amen.

>> Amen.

>> But the hell that God created for those

that would reject him is a place that

Jesus will never be. And in this text,

he reveals the truth about hell. He

reveals the people. In this text, he

reveals the place in this text. Of

course, hell there is two parts.

Abraham's bosom and the literal part of

fire, which is the hell fire burning

there where all the souls of the unsaved

dead dwell. And the Bible says in verse

23, the Bible says, "And in hell he lift

up his eyes."

And I thought about three truths out of

these verses. And like I said, I've

preached through all these before. Not

going to say anything new probably, but

I was thinking about this text. And what

is it that's that when we say hell when

I try to warn you about this place

called hell, why is it so significant?

Well, I thought about what the text

literally reveals here in the text. I'll

say number one this morning when we

think about the reality of hell, I think

number one about the awareness in hell.

>> You say, "What do you mean?" Well,

notice verse number 23. Look what the

Bible says. And in hell, what's your

Bible say? He lift up his eyes. You see

this rich man? The Bible says that after

he died there in verse number 22, he was

buried and in hell he lift up his eyes.

And I I thought about this. You notice

first of all there is visual awareness.

There is visual awareness in hell. You

say, "What is that?" Well, he had his

eyes. Matter of fact, he had his entire

body in hell.

>> Right? You say, "Preacher, how is it

that we'll have a body in hell that will

not burn up?" Well, just the same way

that when a soul dies and goes to

heaven, we get a new body, a glorified

body that cannot be corrupted and cannot

be decayed. When you go to hell as a

sinner and die lost without God, you're

going to get a body that can burn but

never be burned up.

>> Right? For an eternity of eternities,

you'll have a physical body in hell that

will burn and burn and burn and burn and

it will never burn up.

>> You say, "How is that, preacher?" Well,

look what he says in verse 23. And in

hell he lift up his eyes. Notice not

only the visual awareness, but there's a

physical awareness. Look what he says.

Being in torments, he had his senses.

>> Right?

>> You say, "Preacher, what is that?" Well,

you see two of them right here. He could

see. What does he say? Lifted up his

eyes.

>> Being in torments. You know what? His

body was in immense pain.

>> He was literally burning alive.

Torments. That speaks of the immense

physical pain of the hell. It's a

physical awareness. When you're in hell,

you're not just going to go there and go

poof and burn away. But there's going to

be an eternal awareness in your physical

body. If you could be set in a flame, a

burning fire, a brush pile, whatever you

want to call it, if you could be set in

the middle of that thing, times it by a

million, and then take it for eternity,

this is what hell will feel like.

>> An eternal flame.

There's a visual awareness. There is a

physical awareness, but there's also a

spiritual awareness. Notice that in

verse 23. And in hell he lift up his

eyes being in tor in torments. What's

your Bible say? And seeth Abraham

a far off. Now you say, "Preacher, how

is that a spiritual awareness?" Well,

let me ask you something. This rich man,

do you think he'd ever seen Abraham in

real life?

>> You know what this tells me from this

text? That in hell, you know what? He

knew who Abraham was. Right?

>> When he looked over across that great

gulf that we're going to talk about in

just a minute, he saw a man named

Abraham and knew exactly who he was.

>> Right?

>> In hell, you're going to know everybody

that you missed heaven from

hell. You're going to remember every

message

>> that you heard preached that God

delivered unto you of the gospel. You're

going to remember every time Holy Ghost

conviction set in on your heart and

remember how God DEALT WITH YOU INVITING

YOU TO COME UNTO HIM, but yet you

refuse. You will have an awareness

spiritually.

>> You'll be spiritually dead. But you see,

he saw Abraham.

And I'll say this when we consider the

thought of this spiritual awareness. I

don't believe that according I don't

believe according to this text what we

know about this truth. This is Old

Testament. It's New Testament. This Old

Testament fact here. Paradise is no

longer in the heart of the earth, but

it's in the presence of God.

>> Amen.

>> When sinners die, they go to the

presence of the Lord. To be absent from

the body is to be present with the Lord.

And so no longer there is this gulf, but

it's just a place of burning. But you

say, "Preacher, what is that spiritual

awareness?" Well, you're going to

remember,

>> right?

>> You'll remember the scripture that says,

"For God so loved the world,

>> that he gave his only begotten son that

whosoever believeth in him should not

perish,

>> but have everlasting life." And you say,

"Preacher, what is that?" Well, he saw

Abraham. HE KNEW EXACTLY WHO HE WAS. And

let me tell you something. He when he

looked across that divide, he didn't

only see Abraham. And he didn't only see

Lazarus, but let me tell you, he saw

everybody else that was there. You're

>> right.

>> David and Jacob and Isaac and Noah and

Moses and all THE PATRIARCHS. HE SAW HIM

THERE. YOU SAY, "HOW IS THAT, PREACHER?"

BECAUSE HIS EYES were open. And the sad

THING IS, THERE'S SOME OF you sitting

here this morning that it's going to

take you until you get to hell to have

your eyes open.

>> Right.

>> Amen. Good.

>> He had a spiritual awareness.

And I'll say this, I already alluded to

this a little bit, but he also had a

relational awareness.

Verse 23.

And in hell he lift up his eyes being in

torments and seeth Abraham a far off and

Lazarus

in his bosom. Now what does the Bible

tell us about this man Lazarus? Verse

number 20. There was a certain beggar

named Lazarus which was laid at his gate

full of sores. You see that rich man

knew Lazarus,

>> right?

Apparently Lazarus and the rich man had

some sort of a relationship according to

what you find in verse number 24. And

I'll say this, the rich man was very

well aware of Lazarus presence.

>> I don't say this to scare you this

morning, but husband, you'll remember

your wife.

>> Right. Amen.

>> You say, "Preacher, what are you

saying?" I'm saying when you go to hell,

you're not going to be able to see if

there if you have loved ones that are in

hell with you. It's not going to be a

big party,

>> right?

>> You're not going to be able to see your

family there burning with you. Here's

what I'm going to tell you. It's going

to be a personal private thing,

>> right?

>> But you'll know about the ones that made

it into heaven.

>> Amen.

>> Lazarus, look what he says. He saw

Lazarus in his bosom protected by the

mercy of God. He viewed him there. I

don't know if you can imagine that.

I can't imagine the fact of burning in

hell and then seeing my family members

saved on the other side.

>> Amen.

>> Now, I know that there's differences

here, but I'm just using it for

illustration and points this morning.

You're going to remember all these

things.

>> Amen.

>> You'll remember the spiritual things.

You'll remember your relationships.

You're going to have you're going to

have physical sight. The flames are

you're going to see those

>> memories will be played over and over

and over again throughout eternity.

All the while you're burning and that

physical awareness I guess would be the

worst the pain.

Notice not only this I see the awareness

in hell and this is for all those that

are there. But I'll say this, this is

also for all those that are there.

There's an appeal in hell. Say, what do

you mean there's an appeal? Well, notice

what the Bible said in verse 24. And he

cried and said, "Father Abraham, have

mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may

dip the tip of his finger in water and

cool my tongue, for I'm tormented in

THIS FLAME." HELL IS NOT A silent place.

Hell is not a place where there's just

going to be an eternal burning and

there'll just be screaming. No, there'll

be requests,

>> right?

>> THEY'LL BE ASKING.

SOME PEOPLE WHO'VE NEVER PRAYED A PRAYER

IN THEIR ENTIRE LIFE THAT GOT THROUGH

the portals OF GLORY WILL SPEND THEIR

ETERNITY praying to a God that will not

listen.

>> Amen.

>> Some people will spend THEIR ETERNITY

HAVING NEVER SHED A tear but lived A

LUSCIOUS AND PLUSH LIFESTYLE ON THIS

SIDE AND GET OVER THERE and be in

eternal misery forever and eternity. YOU

SAY, "PREACHER, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?"

I'M SAYING THERE'LL BE A CRY FROM HELL.

>> RIGHT? There is an appeal.

Look what he appeals for. Number one, he

appeals for mercy.

And he CRIED AND SAID, "FATHER ABRAHAM,

HAVE MERCY on me."

>> Right?

>> What was he expecting? HE WAS DESIRING

DELIVERANCE.

>> YEAH.

>> WHAT? From his pain, from his

punishment, FROM HIS PERPETUAL ETERNITY

THAT HE WOULD SPEND. HE KNEW THE MOMENT

THAT HE GOT THERE THAT HE WOULD NEVER

GET OUT. AMEN.

>> When you get to hell, friends, YOU'LL

KNOW THE VERY SECOND you step foot there

that it will be for eternity.

>> Amen.

>> And you'll think to yourself, why did I

CHOOSE THIS?

>> WHY WAS THIS MY CHOICE? AND YOU'LL BEGIN

TO CRY OUT FOR MERCY.

>> AMEN.

>> There'll be an appeal there. You say,

"Preacher, I I'll not cry out for

mercy." When you FEEL THOSE FLAMES,

IT'LL BE THE ONLY THING THAT you can do.

Let me tell you this, friend. from the

Hitlers and the Stalins of this world

and all the wicked men that's ever been.

They've struted to hell with their chest

stuck out and their chin held high. But

let me tell you, friend, I don't care

how strong YOU ARE IN THIS LIFE. I DON'T

CARE HOW BOLD AND COURAGEOUS YOU ARE IN

YOUR FLESH. HELL IS GOING TO MAKE A

MOUSE OUT OF YOU. YOU'RE

>> RIGHT.

>> He cried, "Have mercy on me." What could

Abraham do for him

at this point? nothing.

>> You're right.

>> And when you get to hell, you can cry

and pray in Jesus' name and you'll

you'll pray perfect prayers.

>> But you know what? It won't be heard.

>> Right.

>> You see, because once you pass that

line, mercyy's no longer extended.

>> You're right.

>> And he says, "Have mercy." Notice his

plea. He says, "Have mercy on me."

>> You see, for himself, he says, "I need

help." Amen.

>> And so many people have realized

that very first second that they find

themselves in that place called hell,

they've realized they need help.

>> Amen.

>> He appealed for mercy. But I'll say

this, he also appealed for a man.

>> Look what the Bible says in verse 24.

and he cried and said, "Father Abraham,

have mercy on me and send Lazarus that

he may dip the tip of his finger in

water and cool my tongue."

You see, there's an imagery here in this

text.

You say, "What is that imagery,

preacher?"

Well, the rich man represents the

Pharisees,

>> right?

>> Lazarus represents Jesus.

And the Bible says here in the text

verse number 20 that the verse 19 the

rich man was clothed in purple and fine

linen fed sumptiously every day. There

was a certain beggar named Lazarus which

was laid at his gate full of sores.

Isaiah chapter number 52 in the last

verses says that Jesus was he was his

visage was marred more than any man.

Verse chapter 53 says that there was no

beauty in him that we should desire him.

>> Right? He was a man of sorrows and

acquainted with grief. And you say,

"What's the picture, preacher?" Well,

when the rich man made it into hell,

who's the first person he cries for?

>> Lazarus.

>> FATHER ABRAHAM, SEND LAZARUS. WHAT DOES

HE ASK FOR? THAT HE MIGHT DIP THE TIP OF

HIS FINGER IN WATER AND COOL MY TONGUE.

Let me say this to you, friend. Every

person that STEPPED FOOT IN HELL

THROUGHOUT ETERNITY, THE FIRST NAME THAT

THEY'VE CRIED OUT AIN'T BEEN FOR A

FRIEND. It ain't been for A BROTHER, BUT

IT'S BEEN FOR THE BEGGAR THAT LAID AT

THE GATE OF THEIR HEART KNOCKING ON

THEIR HEART'S DOOR THE ENTIRETY OF THEIR

LIVES. JESUS SAID, "I STAND AT THE DOOR

AND KNOCK." AND LAZARUS LAID AT THAT be

at that GATE OF THE RICH MAN AS A BEGGAR

WANTING INSIDE, BUT HE WAS NEVER ALLOWED

INSIDE. AND WHEN THE RICH MAN STEPPED

FOOT IN HELL, HE SAID, ABRAHAM, SEND

LAZARUS. THAT'S

>> RIGHT.

>> AMEN.

>> Every soul that's ever went to hell has

cried out, JESUS,

HAVE MERCY ON ME.

>> LORD, DELIVER ME FROM THIS FLAME. BUT

ISN'T IT A TRAGEDY THAT HE CRIED OUT FOR

A MAN, A MAN THAT WAS THERE ALL THE

TIME? LAZARUS WAS THERE AT THE GATE AND

AT ANY POINT IN TIME, HE COULD HAVE

ALLOWED HIM TO COME IN. LET ME SAY THIS

TO YOU, FRIEND, THIS MORNING. JESUS IS

STANDING AT YOUR HEART'S DOOR AND HE'S

WANTING TO COME IN. AND THE TRUTH IS, IF

YOU DIE LOST WITHOUT GOD, YOU'LL TRY TO

OPEN THE DOOR, BUT HE'LL NOT BE THERE.

YOU'LL ASK FOR HIM TO COME IN, BUT HE

WON'T HEAR YOUR CRY, WHY DON'T YOU OPEN

THE DOOR TO HIM NOW AND ALLOW HIM TO

COME IN? I'M SAYING HE CRIED OUT FOR A

MAN. LET ME SAY THIS TO YOU THIS

MORNING. AND LET ME SAY IT LOUD AND

CLEAR. JESUS WENT TO CALVAR'S CROSS SO

THAT HE COULD DIE FOR YOUR SINS. AND ON

THAT CROSS, HE PAID THE SIN DEBT. AND

THREE DAYS LATER, HE GOT UP BY THE POWER

OF ALMIGHTY GOD. AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S

DOING? HE IS WAITING FOR YOU TO LET him

in.

>> Amen.

>> Thank you, Lord.

>> But so many,

>> will cry out when it's too late.

>> That's right. Amen.

Lazarus laid there at his gate for so

long,

but he never let him in.

But now that he's in hell,

>> Father Abraham send Lazarus.

>> Yeah.

>> All these people that's refused to cry

out to Jesus in this life.

>> In hell,

they'll cry out to him. Yes, sir.

>> But he'll not answer.

>> Right.

>> Amen.

He cried out for a man. Let me say this

to you this morning. I'm thankful that

as a seven-year-old boy, Brother Marty,

I realized I was on my way to hell.

>> Amen.

>> And I cried out for that man.

>> That man to come into my heart and life

and save my soul.

>> And I'll never have to cry for his name

because one of these days I'm going to

be with him. Amen.

>> Amen.

>> And he's I'm not going to have to cry

his name and he's going to cry my name

and I'm going to come up with him. Amen.

Hallelujah.

>> He cried out for a man. He cried out for

mercy. But I'll say this, he also cried

out for medicine.

Verse 24,

"Father Abraham, have mercy on me and

send Lazarus that he might dip the tip

of his finger in water

and cool my tongue."

I said this in Sunday school this

morning to concerning the destruction of

hell.

We think about hell

so many times as a place of burning that

we'll just fall in. It's just an

exterior burning.

But I think, brother Marty, the tragedy

of hail is this is that it's not just an

exterior burning.

>> Because when you notice what he says, he

says, "Send Lazarus and he may dip the

tip of his finger in water and cool my

tongue."

He's not asking for a wet cloth to cool

his head.

>> Come on. nothing to protect his body.

But I'll tell you where the heat was

felt the most

was on his tongue.

>> You say, "What does that represent,

preacher?" Well, the Bible says, David

said this, "The wicked shall be turned

into hell."

>> The truth is, it's not that you just go

to hell.

>> It's that you become it.

>> Right.

>> You burn from the inside out. Yeah.

>> He said, "Send Lazarus that he may dip

the tip of his finger in water and cool

my tongue." Now, think about that for

just a minute. He's not asking for

deliverance permanently. He's asking for

mercy. And what is he saying in this

mercy? He's just asking for a break.

You're

>> right.

>> Just a moment.

And isn't that interesting that for the

entirety of eternity, if you could open

hail right now, that that rich man's

still crying. You're right.

>> Amen.

>> For just a moment.

>> Yeah.

>> Of deliverance.

Just a second.

Just a moment of rest.

You say, "Preacher, what would a drop of

water do for him?" It would do

absolutely nothing.

>> But the principle is this. When he gets

there, he's burning from the inside out.

And you say, "Preacher, how is that? How

is that?" Well, notice it again what he

says.

He says, "Send him that he may dip the

tip of his finger in water and cool my

tongue, for I am tormented

in this flame."

He's just asking for that momentary

relief.

>> And he's so fooled that he just thinks a

drop of water is going to provide that.

>> You know, the people that go to hell,

they're fooled completely by the devil.

>> That's right.

>> And this is the tragedy, Brother Rick.

They'll enter hail and they're still

fooled.

>> Right?

>> He appealed for mercy. He appealed for a

man. He appealed for some medicine. He

could have asked for anything,

but a drop of water was all he desired.

I give you this and I'm done this

morning. There's awareness in hell.

There's an appeal in hell. But I'll say

this, there's apprehension

in hell.

There's things that you're going to

understand there.

>> That's right.

>> Matter of fact, there's things that

you'll understand there that you don't

understand now. You're

>> right.

>> Notice this. I consider in the text

verse number 25.

But Abraham said, and I want to say this

to you now. You say, "Preacher, well,

he's having a conversation with

Abraham." Let me remind you, okay, this

is it for this is an illustration.

And Jesus, this is a true story. Now,

don't don't I'm not denoting the story,

okay? This is what I'm telling you. All

right? Jesus, this event took place so

that Jesus could put this in his Bible,

>> right?

>> Here's what I believe. I believe when

you get to hell, there's not going to be

any conversation

>> with anybody on the outside.

>> This is for illustrative purposes only.

God allowed this to happen so he could

put it in here.

>> That's right.

>> So you and I could see.

Listen to what's said in verse 25.

Abraham said, "Son, remember." And let

me say this. All right? If if I would

rather it be silent.

You say, "How is that?" Well, notice the

first thing he said. Remember, now I

don't know about you, but if I'm there

burning in the midst of that, the last

thing that I want to do is start

remembering.

>> You're right.

>> How good I had it.

>> Yeah.

>> Look what he says. Son, remember that

thou in thy lifetime received thy good

things, and likewise Lazarus evil

things, but now he is comforted, and

thou art tormented. Number one, I would

say this apprehension re reveals a

memory of the good things of life.

>> In hell, you remember all the blessings

of life. You'll remember the good days.

You'll remember the things that were

allowed into your life. Let me say this.

When you think about the good things,

really what this means, because for a

lost man, there is no good things. in

life,

>> right?

>> There's just temporary pleasure. Sin's

it has pleasure for a little season,

right? But that's not the good things

he's talking about. You're going to

remember those, but that's not the good

things. This is the good things. You're

going to remember every time you was

given an opportunity,

>> to be saved.

>> Amen.

>> You're going to remember every time you

heard the word of God. You're going to

remember every song you sung, every song

that was sung to invite you to Calvary.

You're going to remember every

opportunity you had to trust Christ. I'm

talking about you're going to remember

all the good things, the holy things,

the righteous things.

>> Amen.

>> He remembered Lazarus laying at his

gate. The Bible says in verse 25, "Son,

remember that thou thy lifetime received

thy good things, and likewise Lazarus

evil things." Let me say this. You're

not only going to have remey of the good

things of life, but you're going to have

the misery of the guilt.

>> Yeah.

>> Amen.

>> You see, by the implications of the

text, the misery of Lazarus in this life

was caused by the rich man.

>> You're right.

>> It was the sin of omission on the rich

man's part that caused Lazarus to be

miserable in this life physically.

>> He refused to meet the need of the

beggar at his gate.

>> Amen.

>> Why did he do that? because there was

nothing in his heart.

>> All the humanitarian aid in the world is

not worth a thing if it's not done out

of a heart full of Jesus Christ.

>> Amen.

>> But you see, he didn't even didn't even

bother.

>> Think about the guilt he must have felt

seeing Lazarus over there on the holy

side, over there on the side of

salvation, on the side of righteousness.

>> Amen.

>> And then himself burning there in the

flame. What must the guilt be?

You'll remember everybody you did wrong.

>> You're right.

>> You'll remember every time that you

spurned the gospel.

>> Every time that you spit in the face of

God.

>> Amen.

>> Every time that you walked away from

those that loved you and prayed for you

and cared about you.

>> You'll remember all of that. And let me

say this. You'll remember the things

that even you didn't know about.

>> You You'll see that there were people

who prayed for you.

>> That's right.

>> You'll see that there are people who

loved you and cared about you that you

didn't even know.

>> You're right.

And it'll be miserable.

>> Yes.

>> The guilt.

You'll have the memory of the good

things, the opportunities to be saved.

You'll have the misery of the guilt, but

you'll also have this grief. Look what

the Bible says.

Verse number 25. There's the meaning of

this grief. Look what he says. Likewise

Lazarus evil things, but now he is

comforted

>> and thou art tormented. Amen.

>> You say, "What is that, preacher?" Well,

he realizes now because of what he did

AND WHO HE WAS IN THIS LIFE, THAT'S WHAT

GOT HIM TO WHERE HE IS.

>> RIGHT. AMEN.

>> EVERY SINNER WILL KNOW it was their it

was their own sin. It was their own

lust, THEIR OWN CONDEMNATION THAT LED

THEM TO HELL. IT WAS THEIR OWN CHOICES.

IT WAS THEIR OWN ACTIONS. IT WAS THEIR

OWN MINDSET. THERE'LL BE GRIEF FOREVER.

AND YOU'LL FINALLY know the meaning

of the pain.

>> But now he is comforted and thou art

tormented.

And if all that's not enough, you say,

"Preacher, I I know I'm headed there."

If all that's not enough, verse number

26,

and beside all this, if that's not

enough, and beside all this, putting all

that aside, just the fact you can

remember all the good things, you'll

remember all the guilt, all the things

that you did wrong, every failure that

brought you to this place called hell,

and you'll understand the grief that you

have. You'll know why. But now he is

comforted, and thou art tormented. And

verse 26, beside all this, between us

and you,

there's a great gulf fixed. You say,

"Preacher, what is that truth?" Well,

notice it again. Between us,

>> that's collective.

>> Amen.

>> Lazarus and Abraham and all the family

of God's together.

>> But what did he say? Between us and you,

>> he's all alone. You're

>> right. Amen.

Not only is he all alone, but look what

your Bible says. There is a great gulf

fixed so that they which would pass from

hence to you cannot. Neither can they

pass us that would come from them.

There's the memory of the good, the me

misery of the guilt, the meaning of the

grief. But then there's the measure of

the gulf.

It's impassible.

It was made and placed there so that

nobody could ever come between.

>> And I'll say this for you and I. Thank

God for salvation that there's a gulf

that we can never cross.

>> Amen.

>> There's a place that I can never go.

>> Amen.

>> There's a flame I'll never feel.

>> Amen.

>> But for those that are lost,

there's a place that they'll never be.

>> Yes.

There's a people that they'll never see.

>> You're right.

>> And there's a peace that they'll never

have.

>> Amen.

>> He said, "Between us and you, there's a

great gulf fixed." And notice this. He

said, "So that they which would pass

from hence to you cannot." I I think

about what the Apostle Paul said. You

remember he said in the book of Romans,

he said, he said, "I could wish myself a

curse from Christ for my brethren the

Jews sake." Basically what he's saying

said, I if it meant that Israel could be

saved, I would die and go to hell.

That's his passion for them. But he says

in this text, he said, "So that they

which would pass from hence from this

side to you cannot."

We can't go there.

>> Right?

>> And that's why preachers say, "I can't

go to hell even if I wanted to." That's

not a corruptible doctrine.

>> That's what that means. We can't get

there. You're

>> right.

>> That's how sure salvation is. Salvation

is not a work of me.

>> It's a work of God. AND WHEN GOD DOES

HIS WORK, IT'S ETERNAL. IT'S IMPASSIBLE.

IT'S IMPECCABLE. IT CANNOT, IT CANNOT,

IT CANNOT BE MOVED.

>> He said the gulf, he said, so that they

which would pass from hence to you

cannot.

What else does he say?

Neither can they pass to us, that would

come from this.

We know this morning that all those that

are in hell won't out. You're right.

>> Amen.

>> They all want out.

But just as there'll never be a soul of

a saved person that slips through the

cracks of God's fingers,

there'll never be the soul of a lost

person

that makes it out of hell.

>> Right. Right.

>> Hell's a real place.

>> Amen.

But hell is a right place. You're

>> right.

>> Say, "Preacher, how could you say that?"

Well, I know there's one that belongs

there.

>> Come on.

>> Yes.

>> And he's the only one that God made it

for.

>> You're right.

>> He said, "I made it for the devil

and his angels.

>> And every soul that goes there goes

there because they choose to follow

him."

>> Amen.

That lake of fire that burneth with

brimstone

is the eternal boat of the devil.

>> But those who are lost,

they are inviting themselves to that

place.

>> Amen.

>> Many years ago, there was a man, really

a group of men, every head bowed and

every eye closed. As we stand,

men are praying.

There was a man many years ago

wrote a song

and he called it the highway to hell.

And for generations,

drunkards and dope addicts,

fornicators, and adulterers

have played that song and lived up their

lavish lifestyle.

They've rejoiced in evil.

But let me tell you, that lifestyle ends

them

traveling that highway.

And you know what every one of them's

found when they got to the destination?

It wasn't what they thought.

It's not a place of fun. It's not a

party.

It's not a a a a big rejoicing with all

the drinking buddies from life. It ain't

got nothing to do with that. It's a

private personal place of punishment

that's perpetual and will never ever

end.

Just as sure as I'm standing here

talking to you this morning,

there's a hell.

But here's what we know this morning.

Jesus made a way.

He died for your sin.

He lived so that you can be saved. And

let me ask you this this morning. The

ser seriousness of this time, this altar

is full. People are praying for you. If

there's somebody on this altar that

needs to be saved, you just slip your

hand up. We'll come pray with you. All

right. Let me ask you this, church.

Seriousness of this time, nobody's

looking around but me. If you're here

this morning, if you died right now, do

you know where you're headed?

Some of you in here nodding your heads,

rejoicing.

Ain't nothing better than that, is it?

Not a thing.

You can go far and wide. You'll never

find anything better in this life

knowing that you're saved. But there's

some of you that

you don't know.

And John said this. He said, 'Ive

written these things unto you that you

may know that you have eternal life.

Hey, you can know and be sure this

morning. You say, ' Preacher, I'm just

not sure. Would you pray for me this

morning? I need to be saved. I really

do. I believe that. Preacher, I need to

be saved. There's nobody looking around

but me. Preacher, would you pray for me?

Just slip your hand up right back down.

I want to pray for you,

preacher. I need to be saved.

This message was for you this morning.

Hey, it was for you, sinner.

You don't have to leave this place lost

today.

Preacher, I'm just not sure I'm saved.

Anybody be honest between them and God?

Slip your hand up. I want to pray for

you.

God will help you.

Let me say this to you this morning.

Say, "Preacher,

I know I'm saved. Know I'm on my way to

heaven,

but preacher, I've lived so much of my

life in disobedience.

I've failed so much.

Preacher, I want to draw nearer to God.

There's been times I've had doubts

because of my own sin. And that's the

truth this morning. If you live in sin,

you have no right to assurance of your

salvation.

Let me ask you, you say, "Preacher,

would you pray for me? God will help me

to get closer to him." God sees that.

God sees that. Hands all over the bill.

Let me tell you this morning how you do

that. All right? It's faithfulness.

1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse number

1 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

two. The Bible says, "Moreover, it's

required in stewards that a man be found

faithful."

You said, "Preacher, what does that have

to do with me?" Well, if you're saved,

you're a steward of the grace of God.

>> And the reason why you struggle is

because you're not faithful.

Say, "Preacher, what is it? What is it

I've got to be faithful to?" Well, you

need to be faithful to your prayer

closet. You need to be faithful to your

Bible. I'll tell you this. You need to

be faithful to your church.

>> Amen.

>> Say, "Preacher, I struggle my

salvation." Well, I tell you what you

need to do. Be faithful to serve church

services all three times a week for

three months and then come back to me.

You know what you'll find?

You'll figure out whether or not you're

saved or lost.

>> Amen.

It takes more than one time a week,

honey.

It takes more. Hey, you can't get by off

Sunday morning.

Truth be told, you can't get by off

three services a week.

>> But I'll tell you this, you need as much

of it as you can get.

>> Amen.

>> And until you decide and resolve in your

heart, you're going to do everything you

can. Every time that house of God's

open, you're going to do your best to be

there. Every time there's an opportunity

to do something at church, there's

revival meeting, you're going to make up

your mind, you're going to be there come

hell or high water,

it'll make a difference,

>> right?

>> Let me tell you, if you're not faithful,

you have no right to assurance.

But boy, I can tell you this. When you

get her nailed down, you decide, Lord, I

want this thing settled and I'm willing

to follow you. do whatever it takes.

Then you'll start to know what real

peace looks like.

>> Amen.

>> Father, I pray in Jesus name.

Lord, I know there's people here lost

this morning.

And God, I pray they wouldn't leave this

place that way.

Lord, whatever's keeping them,

whatever's holding them back, Lord,

their lifestyle tells on them that they

don't know you.

Lord, I pray please, Father,

Lord. Don't let them leave today.

Don't let them leave lost today,

God. They can know. They can be sure.

And Lord, I pray, Father, you give us

wisdom as the church,

Lord, to be a witness

to disciple those around us,

to be who you've called us to be.

Cuz Lord, hell is a real place.

And Lord, if we don't reach the world,

who will? Help us, Father, I pray in

Jesus name. God's children said,

>> "Amen." Thank

>> Thank you for joining our service today.

We'd love it if you join us in person

the next time you are able at Meadows

Baptist Church. Our physical address is

2988 Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North

Carolina. Our service times are Sunday

school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning

worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening

worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday

evening Bible study at 700 p.m. For more

information, visit us at

meadowsbaptisturch.com.

Thanks again for tuning in.