The Reality of Hell
Read the Text: Luke 16
Memorize the Text: And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels in heaven. (Luke 12:8)
Consider the Text: Luke 16:19-31
We live in a culture that attempts to cool down the reality of hell. People attempt to make it appear as a place of partying and fun or try to wipe the reality away. Both of these attempts lessen the reality of hell and make the need of salvation minimal. No matter the attempt to cool hell, the fact remains that hell is real and is a real place of the eternal wrath of God being poured out on those who are not redeemed. In Luke 16, Jesus described the reality of hell and used it as a warning of what is ahead for those separated from Christ.
Jesus took time to DESCRIBE HELL. Jesus described hell not as a figurative location but as a physical and real place. He told that hell truly existed as a place of eternal punishment. This punishment came as an extension of the wrath of a holy God upon those who did not know him through Christ. The Son of Man identified hell as a place of outer darkness. The idea of darkness means the lack of the Light, which is the Lord. Making matters worse, hell exists as a place of being eternally bound and a location of constant weeping. The unending punishment of hell receives descriptor like the gnashing of teeth and eternal fire. Jesus did not attempt to cool of hell, but he articulated the horrific eternal nature of it.
Jesus did not only describe hell, but he took time to IDENTIFY HELL’S RESIDENTS. The residents of hell dwell there because of an impure heart that became and stayed stained by sin. Those with such a heart lived for the desires of the flesh and rejected the ways of Christ. As a result, their carnal lifestyle defined their character. Jesus warned that come who were religious would dwell there as well because the hypocrites announced faithfulness but remained separated from Christ. Jesus defined these as the unprofitable servants who refused to obey and follow the Lord. Thus, Jesus identified the nature and residents of hell.
The horrific nature of hell is avoidable became HELL CANNOT WITHSTAND CHRIST. Jesus has dominion over hell because he holds the authority to cast people to hell and rescue people from hell. The rescue occurs through genuine faith because real faith in Christ cannot be overcome by hell. The key to saving faith rest in the truth that it must be faith in Christ alone because he is the victor over hell. Jesus defeated hell in the death, burial, and resurrection and offered that victory to us when we believe in faith in Christ alone.
Hell is a place of torture. It is a place where the wrath of God is eternally poured out and is the destination for those who do not have a relationship with Jesus. To cool down hell through changing the truth concerning it does nothing but reject the Word of God and the reality of eternity. The presence of hell should motivate us to see our need for a Redeemer and encourage us to share Jesus with others. Such an activitiy offers those who are lost and destined for hell a way to receive redemption and rescue. As we read Luke 16, may we recognize the horrific reality of hell. May we be joyful in the salvation that comes through Christ alone. May we use the reality of hell as a motivation to reach the lost for Christ.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
