Warn One
Who's Your One? • Sermon • Submitted
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Welcome to Week 3 of our Series “Who’s Your One?”
And Who’s Your One is the main question we’ll contemplate, work through, talk about, and discover the answer for throughout this series……
So…. Who’s you One? Have you identified your “One”
- Who did God place in your heart
- Who are you praying for
- Who are you going to love on
- share life with
- be there for
- warn about what is to come
- help snatch from the fire
- help recognize the need to know Jesus before it's too late
- Who is it that God wants you to make a disciple for Him….
- Have you prayed? Who did God lay on your heart? Have you discovered Who Your One is?
2 weeks ago we laid the basis for the question and I showed you how Jesus made his One’s with 2 sets of brothers (Peter and Andrew, James and John)
- …..and we learned the first Christians called themselves “disciples”
- And we learned disciples live for Jesus, live for others, they love our Savior …. they love others… they ARE focused on God… they ARE centered on Him and serving Him and those He loves
- Disciples seek God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven….
- We learned if we are truly guided by love…..we seek to do God’s will
- Remember … we have a debt / debtor relationship to love God and love others ….. we love God by doing what He commands ….. we love others by sharing the life and love of our Savior…. making disciples and baptizing them so that they too will love God and obey His commands ….. all to the glory of our Savior
Last Week we talked about “One Encounter”
- One encounter is one discussion….one occurrence…..one interaction …… one moment that can change the direction of someone’s life …… one decision that could change someone’s eternal destination ……. one moment of love that changes everything……
- We went through Luke chapter 5 verses 17-26 where some men overcame obstacles to get a paralytic man in front of Jesus by cutting a hole in the roof …. That one encounter that changed everything for the paralytic, for those men, for the crowd that was there, and for us here today……
And last week we asked the question: What stops you from encountering people and sharing your faith?”
- And I gave you a list of 10 reasons or things that might be hindering you.
- the 3rd reason on that list was a DISBELIEF IN HELL or a Downplaying of Hell’s reality. I mentioned this undermines the urgency of placing one’s faith in Christ alone. It undermines the need to warn our One that they must escape the wrath of God, and Jesus is their only refuge. This downplaying or disbelief prevents Christians from sharing truth and the reality of an unbelievers situation and eternal destination.
And that is what we are going to talk about this week …… we’re going to talk about the reality and truth concerning hell – which is the default destination of everyone born on this planet – its what we all truly deserve because of our sin problem - until each one decides to say yes to Jesus and decides to follow Him – everyone needs to be warned – our “one’s” need to be warned…..
Before we get started – and just as we’ve done the last 2 weeks – let’s start with a word association to get the mental juices flowing…….
And here’s your question…..
If you wanted to create an awkward conversation quickly, what would your topic of discussion be? What topic would you thrown out there to make it awkward?
- Do you ask a political question about a particular political party?
- Do you ask a question about particular subject like the death penalty?
- How about questions of abortion?
- How about gossip about your boss with a co-worker in the work place?
- How about a religious question about islam or mormonism? Or purgatory…. Or reincarnation…..
Have you thought of some other topics that might have the desired awkward affect? ….or those you have even proven to be true….. ?
I bet you have a list that you’ve personally shown to cause awkwardness in conversation….
There are a few sure-fire topics to bring up that would make it awkward. Politics will do it when 2 people are from opposite political parties. Religion often does the trick as well, particularly when folks believe different things.
What will also do the trick is when someone suggests that there is a singular way to God through Jesus Christ and that all those who do not have faith in Jesus will spend eternity in hell.
That right there……the word hell …. Is awkward for many…. And For many…..
……Conversation over……. No one wants to talk about that place…..
As I mentioned earlier….. that IS what we’re going to discuss today.
If you are watching online….. and even for those with us here today….. before you decide to shut down the conversation….. before you shut down facebook, boxcast, or the feed from our website….
……Before you decide to shut down your hearing …..
I invite you to stay here with us - and open your mind – and listen what’s going to be said here today….. please stay with us…..
Stay with us because the truth is every single person will spend eternity somewhere ….. every person that has ever lived still exists somewhere
And what you believe concerning Jesus dictates where that somewhere will be …… for eternity
Like I said a little while ago, we need to warn folks about what is to come…. what’s in store for them if they continue on their current path without knowing Jesus as Savior
If we don’t warn people…. Who will? If you don’t warn your “one,” who will?
Think about it …… why are we still here if the only goal in life is to get to heaven?
We Christians are still here because we need to share Jesus with those that do not know Him ……
we need to warn people about what happens if they do not know Jesus when they die and leave this world…….
Love dictates that we warn them……
That’s what todays sermon is all about…… the need to warn your one
So…..
There’s a passage of scripture….a story Jesus told…..that serves as a clear example for us ….. that can serve as a warning
The story is about a rich man and a poor man….. and they both die ……
one is heaven and the other is in hell……
The bible tells us in Proverb 22:2 (NKJV)
“The rich and the poor have this in common, The Lord is the maker of them all.”
Since the Lord is creator of all ….. all die no matter their position in this world….. everyone dies…..
Now…. If you could ….. Let’s open our bibles to the new testament, to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 16, verses 19 to 31….. and read the story Jesus gave us from His word…..
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
The Bible records this account of a rich man and poor man who both die.
The poor man goes to heaven and is embraced by father Abraham.
The rich man dies and suffers in hell….
The rich man looks across the great divide…. into heaven…… and asks for mercy, some water and for someone to warn his family to avoid this place of torment.
The rich man in hell wants to warn his family…. who have yet to die…. so they don’t suffer like he is suffering…….
There is something you need to know here……
God does not send anyone to hell …… we go of our own volition …… we go as we reject Christ Jesus.
We read in John 3:17 and 18
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Here’s something else for you…..
a Puritan pastor named Richard Baxter lived his life thinking of both heaven and hell. From his guidance to his church, entitled “How to Spend the Day with God,” we read the following:
“Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows. Familiarize yourself so consistently to this that your conscience may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude. Think of the mercy of a night’s rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonizing pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives. Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul for such a time, and seek it without delay.”
People are already condemned to hell if they do not confess Jesus as Savior…..
those of us that have already said yes to Jesus and follow Him need to think of the souls that will leave their bodies not knowing Jesus and having to stand in judgement before a holy and just God…..
what a terrifying proposition……. What a terrifying situation to be in …. not knowing Jesus and being condemned to hell forever …… its absolutely heartbreaking!
we need to warn others before it’s too late…..
Let’s go back to Jesus’ story from Luke’s Gospel …… here’s some things we learn about hell…..
1. HELL IS ETERNAL.
We see in Luke 16 verse 26 Abraham from heaven tells the rich man in hell that no one can cross over the great chasm that is fixed between the two. Its fixed…..its there forever…….
Jesus also tells us in Matthew 25 verse 46.
“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
And from Jesus’ half brother Jude in Jude verse 7
Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
And again from Jude in verses 12 and 13
“These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”
2. HELL IS A PLACE OF PAIN, and FEAR, and SADNESS
We see in Luke 16 verse 23 the rich man as “being in torment” ….. in great pain…. he is suffering non-stop…… he’s hurting, looking for some hope because he lifted his eyes…looking up…..
In verse 24 and 25 the rich man is in anguish …. The rich man asks for mercy from the aguish that comes about from the fiery flames of hell….
and in verse 28 the rich man describes hell as a place of torment.
We also see in verses 27, 28, and 30 that he is fearful for what will come of his family and saddened that they may not seek repentance on their own and end up where he is.
We also learn at the end of Revelation 20 verse 10 that hell is an eternal place torment.
“And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
And torment again in Revelation 14:11
And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
And sadness and pain in Matthew 13:50
“And throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Also in Matthew 13 verses 41 and 42
“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
And again Matthew 24:51
“And will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
3. HELL IS A PLACE OF ISOLATION and SEPARATION.
From Luke passage we see the rich man is by himself….. while the poor man Lazarus is with Abraham…… we see it in Luke 16 verses 22 and 23 … the rich man is isolated and separated…..
We see it again in verse 26 where there is a great chasm that separates the two locations…. Heaven and hell
Jesus shows us in Matthew 25 verses 31-46 how things will be separated – Jesus describes His followers as sheep and those that do not know Him as goats - and that there will be isolation from God……
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
We also learn from Luke 16 there are A FEW GOOD THINGS IN HELL…. and not in God’s definition of good but in the world’s definition of good:
1. GOOD PEOPLE ARE IN HELL.
The rich man in this story is moral and caring. The rich man cared about his family. He knows well enough that his family could be warned about hell and repent of their sins and therefore avoid hell.
2. GOOD VISION IS IN HELL.
Luke 16:23 “and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.”
He could see well enough across the chasm that separated him from heaven and the poor man…..
3. GOOD PRAYERS ARE IN HELL.
From verse 24: “And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’”
4. GOOD MEMORY IS IN HELL.
From verse 25 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
And also note verse 24 where the rich man remembered Lazarus and called for him by name…… he remembered his place in society as a rich man of authority and the poor man Lazarus …. the poor waiting on and serving the rich……
5. GOOD THEOLOGY IS IN HELL.
See verse 30 “And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’”
It’s almost like the rich man knew Revelation 1:18 – “And the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”
And also Philippians 2:11
“... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The rich man’s theology was good enough to know Jesus is the key to everything.
6. GOOD PRIORITIES ARE IN HELL.
Look at Luke 16 verses 27 and 28 again…..
“27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ”
his priority was to witness to his family
his priority was to warn them concerning hell
7. GOOD INTENTIONS ARE IN HELL.
The rich man knew the law of Moses – he knew the prophets – he knew what God’s word said concerning hell – and he may have even intended to repent and follow Jesus…… but death came before that happened…….
📷
One can reject Christ through outright rebellion, but rejection of the Lord does not have to be active. One can deny and refuse Christ also through apathy, indifference, procrastination and even ignorance.
Some people fully intend to follow the Lord, and one day they plan to do so.
Have you ever heard someone say – “I’ll say yes to Jesus on my death bed.” Or “I’ll confess Him as Lord before I die….I’m just not ready.”
If that is you…… please know you’ve been warned … you are now left without excuse……
Psalm 145:20 says “The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”
Psalm 145:20 says “The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I have a question: “What is it that you need to be saved from?”
I have a question: “What is it that you need to be saved from?”
The answer?
The answer?
The answer is eternity in hell ….. we all need to be saved from hell. If you don’t know Jesus as Savior – you need to be saved from hell…… do it NOW before its too late ….. there are no second chances to say yes to Jesus after you’re dead
The answer is eternity in hell ….. we all need to be saved from hell. If you don’t know Jesus as Savior – you need to be saved from hell…… do it NOW before its too late ….. there are no second chances to say yes to Jesus after you’re dead
Hell was made for those that have rebelled against God…that have sinned against God….. for the devil, his angels and all unrepentant sinners……for those that have rejected Jesus
Hell was made for those that have rebelled against God…that have sinned against God….. for the devil, his angels and all unrepentant sinners……for those that have rejected Jesus
Right here, as I close, I’m going to invite the worship team back up on stage…..
And I’m going to leave you with good news – some encouragement for those that call Jesus Lord ….. for those that have confessed with their mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart in His resurrection……
hell was not prepared for you! Jesus has prepared a place for you.
From the Apostle John’s gospel chapter 14 verses 1-7
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Folks…… warn your “one” about hell
And while you are at it….. warn everyone else…..
Its that important