OUR MISSION: To guide those far from God into the new start found in Jesus Christ.

Luke 16: ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 ‘The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.” 25 ‘But Abraham replied, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” 27 ‘He answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” 29 ‘Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” 30 ‘“No, father Abraham,” he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” 31 ‘He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”’

1Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”

Review Exclusivity The Method of Grace The Resurrection Jesus is God Suffering We have to look back to the Cross We have to look ahead to the Living Hope We have to look into the Gospel

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 “How can you possibly reconcile the concept of judgement and hell with the idea of a loving God?” 1.Your own heart 2.For living at peace in the world 3.Knowing the love of God

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 Firstly Understanding Hell is Crucial to Understanding Your Own Heart “summum bonum” Latin = the highest or supreme good of your life Sin is…“Building your identity on anything but God.” “Sickness unto Death” - Soren Kierkegaard vs.25a "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things…”

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 Firstly Understanding Hell is Crucial to Understanding Your Own Heart Matthew 23:27-28 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 Firstly Understanding Hell is Crucial to Understanding Your Own Heart James 3:5-6 “Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 Firstly Understanding Hell is Crucial to Understanding Your Own Heart Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” “Souls don’t die” - The Iron Giant "Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live forever and this must be either true or false. Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about… if I am going to live forever. Perhaps my bad temper or jealousy are getting worse--so gradually that the increase in my lifetime will not be very noticeable. But it might be absolute hell in a million years: in fact, if Christianity is true, Hell is precisely the correct technical term for it..." “Mere Christianity” – C. S. Lewis

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 Firstly Understanding Hell is Crucial to Understanding Your Own Heart "Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others... but you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize or even to enjoy the mood, but just the grumble itself, going on forever like a machine. It is not a question of God "sending us" to hell. In each of us there is something growing, which will be hell unless it is nipped in the bud.” “The Great Divorce” – C. S. Lewis

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 Firstly Understanding Hell is Crucial to Understanding Your Own Heart There are only two kinds of people in the end 1.Those who say to God… “thy will be done” 2.And those to whom God says in the end… “thy will be done” “In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell is itself a Question: "What are you asking God to do?“ To wipe out their past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty and offering every miraculous help? But He has done so, on Calvary. To forgive them! They will not be forgiven. To leave them alone? Alas, I am afraid that is what He does.” “The Problem of Pain” – C. S. Lewis

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 Secondly Understanding Hell is Crucial to Living at Peace in This World “If God were not angry at injustice and deception and did not make a final end to violence—that God would not be worthy of worship” Miroslav Volf - Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness and Reconciliation Their faith is inherently divisive. At the end of the day non-Christians however devout are lost. What are the prospects of equal citizenship for those of us damned, by our refusal to be born again? Wendy Kaminer (26 th August 2005)

HELL & JUDGEMENT Luke 16:19-31 Thirdly Understanding Hell is Crucial for Knowing the Love of God vs.27 “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house…” vs.31 “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” It was God’s will to crush him. So we looked upon him and we were appalled. He was disfigured beyond human appearance and his form was marred beyond human likeness. For the Lord made him a guilt offering but the results of his suffering he will see and be satisfied. - Isaiah 53:10-11 (paraphrase)

OUR MISSION: To guide those far from God into the new start found in Jesus Christ.