Part of the old path is telling the whole gospel, even if it is not popular. In Luke 16, Jesus spent some time in this chapter chastising the Pharisees about their love for money. He continues, by telling them about a rich man who went to Hell.
1. He never says it’s a parable.
2. The rich man did not go tell hell because he had money, but because he was selfish and loved his money more than God.
3. God allowed Lazarus to lie at his gate every day as a reminder of what he should be doing. The rich man had every opportunity to do the right thing. So do we.
4. Lazarus did not ask for much, only crumbs, and the rich man would not even give him that.
5. The rich man was very conscious in hell; he remembered his life, and his actions and those things tormented him.
6. The atmosphere was flames, torment, and suffering. The rich man did not want his family to come.
7. It was ironic that in Hell the rich man was now begging.
8. When the rich man asked that someone return from the dead to warn his brothers (who no doubt were living a similarly selfish life), Abraham refused. Shocking people only goes so far.
God is not interested in scaring people into salvation. He wants us to listen to what he has already left us…THE BIBLE.
9. There was a “great gulf fixed” between heaven and hell, and God’s decision about his life was final and would not be changed. Once we pass over, there is no other chance for change.
10. Any one that causes you to believe that Hell is a myth and not to worry about it— is deceiving you.
