Text:
Luke 16: 19-31
Memory Verse:
“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke 16:24).
Scripture makes it clear that hell is real. Most people, however, tend not to believe this because they feel that God is too loving to cast anybody into hell, a place of everlasting sorrow and torment. But the Bible says, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).
The name of the unfortunate rich man who went to hell was not revealed, but
from this story we can deduce that man’s achievements in this world cannot
deliver him from hell, if he does not accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord. The
torment that awaits anyone who, like the rich man, refuses Jesus as Lord and
Saviour includes: everlasting burning with fire, unquenchable thirst for water,
tormenting concern for loved ones on earth, the torment of the knowledge that
there is no end to the suffering and regrets for wasted opportunities that could
have led to salvation.
Since hell is real and the torment there is unbearable, you must do whatever
you can to avoid being linked with any lifestyle that leads people to it. Knowing fully well that everything after death is fixed and irreversible, as mercy ends at death. Mercy is only available for the living souls; after death there is no more opportunity for change. Anything that could not be achieved before death cannot be attained anymore. Therefore, the only way to avoid hell and its torments is to repent and live for God now. Heaven or hell, the choice is yours.
Prayer Points:
1. Father, deliver me today from every power and sin that will drag me to hell.
2. Father, give my household and I the grace to be able to live a life that qualifies us for heaven.
