The message was brought by Rev Jimmy Gross.
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Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was
clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full
of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the
rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it
came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell
he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus
in his bosom. 24 And 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. 25 But Abraham said, Son,
remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that
they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us,
that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee
therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come
into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses
and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father
Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will
they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
What happened here is a fearsome thing. In many churches today only the pleasant
things are talked about. People don’t want to hear about hell. They want
someone to tell them how to feel better and be successful. Being saved will
make you feel better and successful. Churches should be filled for the saving
of souls. It’s not just a percentage of money that we should give to the Lord; it's our
time does as well. Some give God one percent.
So, who cares if the lost go to hell?
God the Father cares. John 3:16 says that God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son to keep us out of hell. That Bethlehem
stable he was born in cares for Jesus was born there. Jesus had little down
here except a great Father. God supplied
his every need.
Calvary’s cross cares. It
cries out. It saw the Son of God die. The tree that Jesus hung on was created
by him. All the sins of the world were cast on Jesus; Calvary’s
cross cares.
Jesus cares. If he cares about feeding the sparrow, imagine
how much he cares about us. The Bible says he came to seek and save the lost.
He ministered to the lost; he ate with the lost. Ministering doesn’t just come
from behind this pulpit. Telling someone at work about what the Lord has done
for you is ministering. We may get
talked about, but in the United
States no one is crucified for telling
people about Jesus. While Jesus was on
the cross, one of the thieves told him to tell God to come save them both. The
other thief asked to be remembered. He was a “whosoever” that called upon the
Lord.
The Holy Spirit cares. On the day of Pentecost 3,000 were
saved. We’re lucky today to get six a year. The devil has convinced people they
don’t need God AND because God has been so good to us, we’re not doing our part
either. God is gracious. The Holy Spirit empowers us to witness. There was rejoicing in
heaven when those 3,000 were saved, but the Bible says there is rejoicing over
just one. The Holy Spirit is the Lord of the Harvest. He brings conviction that
helps lead someone to Christ.
Heaven cares. It wants to be overloaded. The rich man lived
his heaven on earth and ended in hell. Lazarus lived his hell on earth and went
to heaven. It wasn’t because the man was rich; he put his riches before God.
Compare their deaths. If we could see five minutes of hell,
we’d care more. Those who care ask people to come; we ask them to come, but we can’t
make them. Be persistent. What if Jesus had quit during his beating? He didn’t.
He kept on. We must keep going too.
One thing that’s free is salvation—God gave his Son—the Son gave his
life—we go free.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 