The Lutheran Hour
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"This is What it Will Take"
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Text: Text: Luke 16:30
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Because this is so, and it is so, we have a Savior who rescues believers from the horrors of hell.
Years ago a small country church was looking for a new pastor. After some significant searching, they managed to pare down the list to two possible candidates. Each of these men was requested to present an “audition” sermon to the congregation. That’s how it came to pass that on two consecutive Sundays, the potential pastors found themselves preaching to a most attentive audience. The first pastor preached on hell. The second pastor preached on hell as well. When it came time for the congregation to make its selection, the vote for the first pastor was a unanimous, first-ballot decision.
After he was installed, the new pastor found out that both of the nominees had used hell as their topic. Understandably curious, he asked one of the congregation’s leaders why the church had picked him. The leader didn’t have to think long before he gave his answer. He said, “When the other pastor preached on people going to hell, he seemed to be almost satisfied that they were getting what they deserved. When you preached about people going to hell, everybody could see that it just about broke your heart.”
Today, on this Lutheran Hour message, I’m going to speak about hell. The fact that some of my listeners are going to the bad place does break my heart, and the heart of any Christian who is concerned that someone they love may be headed, quite unnecessarily, in that direction. If this message has been given to you by a friend or a family member, please don’t disregard it. Don’t get angry or upset. Where you spend eternity is something they’re worrying about, and it took considerable courage for them to run the risk of upsetting you. They’re reaching out to you, like that pastor, with a heart that is breaking.
To be sure, some of you listening to this message may not be overly eager to hear about hell. To listen to something as unpleasant as hell, is something you might prefer to save for another day, another week, or maybe never. I can understand your feelings, most ministers can. You see, a long time ago the vast majority of Jesus’ followers believed that hell was a very real place. Years ago, they knew that hell was the place where the unbelieving and the impenitent go when they died. Years ago, pastors preached on the horrors of hell because it’s an effective tool to scare people out of their sin. Sorry to say, too many preachers, like the second pastor in the opening story, presented their message with a sense of smug satisfaction. Understandably, the average listeners’ reaction to that kind of preaching was pretty negative.
That’s just one of the reasons today, you have to look pretty far afield to hear a sermon about hell. Most ministers stopped preaching about the place years ago. Some stopped because talking about hell made listeners feel bad about themselves and more than a little uneasy. Some preachers stopped talking about hell because they believed God is a good Guy (which He is), and not at all serious about sending sinners into this most nasty of places. Some stopped because preaching about hell seemed so out-of-date, so middle ages. Others stopped because talking about hell was bad for church attendance and the Sunday offering. Whatever the reason, most preachers don’t talk about hell.
Sadly, the result of this pastoral silence has been the creation of apathy in regard to eternity. The thinking is: “If the minister doesn’t take hell seriously, I don’t have to worry about it, either.” Rather than being feared, hell is part of the featured routine of many a comedian. With gusto, they describe hell as the ultimate party place, populated with all the swinging sinners who will for eternity, indulge in all the transgressions which Scripture condemns. Heaven, on the other hand, is filled with those who are incredibly boring and wouldn’t know fun if it bit them on the ankle. At cocktail parties, you will often hear a dime-store philosopher sagely say something like, “Heaven and hell are shaped by what you make out of life,” or “I believe that heaven and hell are right here on earth.” Amazingly, almost everybody I’ve ever seen, swallows this balderdash and baloney, and nods their heads in harmonious agreement. I pray you’re not one of the folks who disregard hell. It would break my heart if you were.
I have been told, although I can’t prove it, after a Christian evangelism crusade in Australia, a lady sent a letter to the editor of a Melbourne newspaper. This is what I was told she said: “I am heartily sick of the type of religion that insists my soul (and everyone else’s) needs saving–whatever that means. I have never felt that I was lost. Nor do I feel that I wallow in the mire of sin…. Give me practical religion that teaches gentleness and kindness and acknowledges no barriers of color or creed, that remembers the aged and teaches children about goodness and not about sin. If, in order to save my soul, I must accept such a philosophy as I have recently heard preached, I prefer to remain forever damned.”
When I first heard those words, especially the last sentence, it broke my heart. “I prefer to remain forever damned.” Had this woman given any serious thought to what she had written? Had she considered the eternal impact of her words? With one sentence, she denies the seriousness of sin, minimizes the cause for which Christ came, and denies the damnation which is a direct consequence of disbelief. This is a lady who wants a religion which says, “I’m pretty good; you should be pretty good; and God should be pretty glad.”
She breaks my heart. You see, my friends, I know there is a hell. With most audiences, that kind of confident confession is almost always met with the challenge: “If there’s a hell, where is it?” That’s easy to answer: “Hell is found at the end of a life without Christ.” I know there is a hell, because if there isn’t, Christ’s life, His suffering, His death, His resurrection on the third day, were all absolutely unnecessary. If there’s no hell, we don’t need to be saved. If there’s no hell, we’re free to do anything, and I mean anything we want. Without hell, the most despicable, degrading and disgraceful deeds go unpunished and the most atrocious actions have no consequences. Without hell, there is no curb upon cruelty, no rule or regulation to keep our sinful natures in check.
Yes, I know there is a hell, because Jesus says so, and God’s Scriptures don’t lie. Without hell, Jesus is demoted from Savior to Teacher, and quite honestly, not a very good Teacher at that. After all, if there is no hell, Jesus was clearly wrong about His mission and His ministry. Without hell, He did not have to come to seek and save the lost – there are no lost. Without hell, He didn’t have to give His life as a ransom for many, because all of us are perfectly safe and secure, just as we are. Without hell, the church should offer apologies to all the martyrs who have, and are, suffering because they believe Jesus is the only Name under heaven which can save them.
But there is a hell. Now, I wouldn’t expect you to change your thinking on my say-so alone. I freely admit, and my friends would be more than glad to agree, that my opinions can be and often are wrong. Still, even as you ignore me, there are some who have a first-hand knowledge about the place. You might want to consult with them. For example, ask the devil. He believes in hell. He’s working overtime to make sure you will, after Judgment Day, be right there with him. You might want to listen to the devils that Jesus cast out of troubled and terrified souls. They knew there was a hell and they begged not to be sent back to that terrible place.
But more important than any of these is the opinion of Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Any reader, even a casual reader of the Bible will soon see Jesus believed in hell. When Jesus walked the earth, He talked about many things, but there are three themes He came back to again and again. The first was, how a person can be saved and become an adopted member of God’s family of faith. Jesus’ second theme was how His followers should use money and the gifts of life the heavenly Father bestows. Jesus’ third and final theme was of heaven and hell. The essence of Jesus’ message about hell was simply this: “Hell is a nasty place, and you don’t want to go there. ”
To illustrate the importance of avoiding hell, Jesus told the story of a rich man and a beggar by the name of Lazarus. When these men died, Lazarus went up, the rich man who had trusted in his wealth, who had been selfish, rejecting both Jesus and any kind of Christian charity, went down. He went down and he found out there is a hell. He didn’t get absorbed by the force. He wasn’t given a second chance via reincarnation. He found hell and the true meaning of torment.
He found a torment so great that a drop of water seemed like an oasis. He found a torment which enabled him to recognize the hope and happiness, which had once been taken so much for granted, were now forever beyond his grasp. He found a torment which allowed him to reflect, and to regret, and to repent, and to make plans, but all without point or purpose. He who had lived his life without concern, or compassion, or charity for those around him, found himself in a place where those qualities had no meaning. He who had wished to live his life without respect or reverence for God, had found the one place in all creation where that wish would be forever granted.
There in his place of pain and torment, the condemned soul, through his never-ending agony, proceeded to ponder. He knew there was no way out for him. He was lost. But how about those who were still alive? Whose fate had not yet been decided? There was still time for them to escape hell. But how could they be reached? He considered many possible plans, and then stumbled upon the one plan that he knew could not be ignored. He asked that someone, anyone, even the ex-beggar be sent back from the dead to visit his family with words of warning. His request was rejected. He was told, “They have Moses, the prophets, the Word of God. Your brothers need to listen to, comply with, and believe in the plan of salvation which is laid out so clearly in God’s Holy Scriptures.”
In that Book is told the story, God’s true story, of how anyone can be rescued from the torment of hell. In that Book is told the story of how humankind rejected God’s will and fell into sin. In that Book is told how God, with a love that cannot be understood, sent His Son to take our place. That Book speaks of how the Lord Jesus, God’s Son, left His high home in heaven, and was born a Man, like one of us. The Book tells how He lived His entire life keeping all of God’s laws – the laws we had broken. The Book speaks of love, and miracles and healing, and compassion. And the Book also tells of how Jesus, rather than being praised and applauded for all He did, was betrayed by a friend, deserted by His disciples, condemned by His church, sold out by His government, and carrying our sins, was nailed on a cross to die the death that we deserved. The Book tells of how Jesus died, and then His work successfully finished, rose on the third day and showed to all the world that sin, Satan and death have been defeated. On the third day, a risen Savior showed that if a person believes on Him as their Savior, their Substitute, their Sacrifice, they can be rescued from hell. “All this,” the man in hell was told, “is found in the Book. Let your brothers believe it.”
Knowing his brothers, knowing their hard-heartedness, the tormented man made his request once more, “Send someone back from the dead.” Once again, at least in the story, his appeal was declined. But I wonder, was the man right? Would it make a difference to people if someone came back from the dead and gave the warning: “Hell is real. Don’t go there.” A dead person certainly would be hard to ignore. A dead person’s appearance would let us know that death is not the end. Yes, I imagine most of us, after we got over our fear and the feeling we had completely lost our grip on reality, would listen to a dead person. We would listen to a person that has been on the other side – who has firsthand knowledge of what happens after we breathe our last breath.
Which, I imagine, is precisely why God has sent a dead Person back to us. God sent His once dead, and now ever-living Son back to the disciples, to the doubters, to the deniers. After Jesus rose from the dead, He showed Himself to anyone who would look. He calmed their fears, encouraged them to touch the scars on His hands, His feet, His spear-sliced side. He ate with them, talked with them, walked with them and gave them every proof imaginable, that He was real. And then, having assured them that He was not a figment of their imagination, a flight of fancy from a mourning and grief-stricken mind, He told them, “Hell is real. You don’t want to go there.”
Then, the Man Who had come back from the dead told them how they could be rescued from hell. Jesus said, “This is what it will take. Believe on Me and you will be saved.” Today on this broadcast, I echo Jesus’ words. Believe on Jesus as your Savior and you will be saved. Believe that Jesus has carried your sins, suffered, died and rose for you. Believe on Jesus. Let God’s Holy Spirit turn you from what you are, and with a repentant heart, make you into what God wants you to be; what God has always intended you to be: one of His saved children. Yes, hell is real, but with faith in Jesus, so is heaven.
This broadcast of “The Lutheran Hour” is being sent out to tell all who will hear that hell is real, but so is heaven. For 74 years these Sunday messages have gone out into the world to say, “Hell is real, and in Jesus, so is heaven.” For 74 years The Lutheran Hour has been telling people that Jesus came back from the dead so that all who believe on Him will not perish but have everlasting life. You will note that this broadcast doesn’t ask you for money. We never have. We don’t want any request for money to turn you off. We don’t want to have anything compromise, or cloud, or confuse the truth that hell is real, and Jesus is your escape. The message is simply too important, the time you have left is too short. This day the Lord is calling you to faith. Do not turn your back on Him or His Son Who has come back from the dead. Hell is real and you don’t want to go there. If you need to know more about Jesus, we will help you, call the number we will give before the end of the broadcast.
And if this message is being shared with you by a friend or family member, via tape, CD, or manuscript, or on the World Wide Web, do not judge them too harshly. I know of a young man who did exactly that. He was outraged at the people who shared the Savior with Him. In a fit of fury he said to a stranger, “Where can I go to get away from these Christians who won’t stop witnessing about Christ?” He got back a surprising answer: “You can go to hell; there won’t be any Christians there.”
The people sharing this message will have broken hearts if you end up in hell. They don’t want you there. No, they’re not trying to run your earthly life – they’re trying to save your eternal soul. Sharing this message is merely one way they’re letting you know they’re concerned and they care. Like the minister in my opening story, their hearts are breaking with the knowledge that you may be headed for hell. They have a fear that the day will come when they will walk past your casket and they won’t know if you were saved. They are saddened by the idea that they will, someday, be in heaven and you will not.
If Jesus is your Savior, help them, tell them, let them know. They carry a great weight of uncertainty in their hearts concerning you. They know hell is real, and they want you to be rescued from an eternity of torment. If you don’t know Jesus, let them help you. Put aside past arguments, past fights, present pride and ask them to direct you to a greater knowledge of Him Who has come back from the dead to save you. Believe me, they will be happy and honored that you trust them in this way. They will be glad that you will know there is a hell – but not from first hand experience. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for October 10, 2004
Topic: “I Don’t Feel Lost”
ANNOUNCER: And now more with Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer, and I have a question for you based on something I heard you talk about today.
KLAUS: Fine by me. Please.
ANNOUNCER: You quoted a lady who said she was “heartily sick” of any religion that said her soul needed saving.
KLAUS: That’s right. This is what she said, “I have never felt that I was lost, nor do I feel that I wallow in the mire of sin.”
ANNOUNCER: That’s probably true, but what I want to know is, what can we say to someone who doesn’t feel all that lost?
KLAUS: Good question. I understand that lady’s letter was written in response to a Gospel crusade which took place in Australia. When I first read it, it sent shivers up my spine. She’s precisely the kind of person the Lutheran Hour broadcast has tried to reach for the last 74 years.
ANNOUNCER: But what can the individual Christian say to someone they know and care about? Maybe a son or daughter, a parent, a spouse, who might say the same sort of thing – they just don’t feel the need to be saved.
KLAUS: We’re talking about good people here, fine upstanding moral non-Christians, right?
ANNOUNCER: Right.
KLAUS: I was told the legendary pioneer Daniel Boone was once asked whether he had ever felt lost in the wilderness. He replied, “Never, although I was once a might confused for three days.” I think you might get the same kind of answer from an unbeliever. Most would tell you, “No, I’m really not that lost. I don’t need to be rescued. I do not wallow in sin.” From a Christian point of view, we’ve asked the right question. From the unbeliever’s point of view however, our question doesn’t make sense. They think, “Hey, I’m not so bad. I know some other people who do wallow in sin, and I’m not like them.”
ANNOUNCER: So, what’s the right way to approach such an individual?
KLAUS: First they need to know that someday they’re going to be judged according to God’s standards, and not in comparison with other people. Also, it doesn’t matter how a person feels about where they stand with God. The question is, “What does God’s Word say about you and how you measure up according to what God expects of you?”
ANNOUNCER: That’s why Jesus said He came for those who knew they were sick.
KLAUS: Absolutely. Those who think they’re healthy, like the lady who wrote that letter, don’t think they need a physician. But believe me, the time will come when she won’t feel so secure or so sure of herself.
ANNOUNCER: That’s that time when those Christians around her can supply those answers that are found only in Christ, answers that a person will not find in themselves.
KLAUS: That’s when Jesus supplies the answers. She may be very good, but she’s not good enough. However Jesus is through His perfect life, His death on the cross, His resurrection, He alone truly measures up to everything God expects. Having said that, I think it’s far better to start off by approaching individuals on their level. You might ask them, “Are you at peace with yourself? Do you have all the answers to life’s deep questions?” If the individual is honest with himself, the answer is going to be “No. I don’t have peace, and I don’t have all of life’s answers. Who does?”
ANNOUNCER: And when they ask, “Who does?” Christians have a reply.
KLAUS: Christians can say, “My Savior has the answers.”
ANNOUNCER: But wouldn’t an unbeliever also ask, “But what about you? Are you happy all the time? Do you have peace all the time?” What do you say then?
KLAUS: You say, “Sure. I’ve got problems and sadness, but Jesus deals with those things. He died and rose again to cancel our debt of sin. He makes us acceptable to God. That’s what it means to be saved. That’s the peace of God which passes all human understanding. That’s the peace the Savior gives which the world can’t.”
ANNOUNCER: By the same token, I think we should point out that Christians don’t necessarily always feel saved, either.
KLAUS: That’s true. But once again, it’s not about how we may or may not feel. The question is, “What does God’s Word say?” The Bible says, “If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed” (John 8:36). We’re talking about reality here, a reality that becomes ours through faith in Christ.
ANNOUNCER: When we share that faith with others, timing is important, isn’t it?
KLAUS: It is that. You don’t stop a bride as she’s walking down the aisle and confront her with a deep spiritual question. At that point, she’s got other things on her mind. But every individual has those moments when they know they can’t figure things out, when they don’t like or love themselves. When they finally come to the end of their rope and themselves, that’s when the Holy Spirit can do His most effective work. Jesus talked about it in His parable of the sower, there are times when the seed of His Word will fall on fertile ground (Matt. 13:18-23).
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.