- Jan 18, 2012
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I received these sermon notes the other day from an associate of mine:
In our parable for tomorrow (Luke 16:19-31), The rich man had come to a place beyond the cross-roads of decision – to a place in which there is permanent suffering – to a place in which there is no redemption.
Note that the rich man doesn’t ask God to be delivered from the torment of the flame. He asks that Lazarus be sent to cool his tongue. He was willing to humble himself before a former beggar that had been vindicated but he was not willing to humble himself before God and ask for deliverance.
If he had asked for deliverance from hell and God had refused, I think that Christianity would completely collapse. Because Hell is not a place where God arbitrarily decides to stop giving the soul second chances. Salvation is not about chance. It is about repentance and God’s love for us. And Hell is a place where the unrepentant soul is allowed to live eternally in a place of its own creation – its will frozen in determined stubborn, hateful rebellion, forever apart from God. It is an answer to prayer, really. The unrepentant soul screams out to God – get out of my life forever! Hell is the answer to this prayer.
What do you make of that? I will supply some thoughts later.Note that the rich man doesn’t ask God to be delivered from the torment of the flame. He asks that Lazarus be sent to cool his tongue. He was willing to humble himself before a former beggar that had been vindicated but he was not willing to humble himself before God and ask for deliverance.
If he had asked for deliverance from hell and God had refused, I think that Christianity would completely collapse. Because Hell is not a place where God arbitrarily decides to stop giving the soul second chances. Salvation is not about chance. It is about repentance and God’s love for us. And Hell is a place where the unrepentant soul is allowed to live eternally in a place of its own creation – its will frozen in determined stubborn, hateful rebellion, forever apart from God. It is an answer to prayer, really. The unrepentant soul screams out to God – get out of my life forever! Hell is the answer to this prayer.