Title: Heaven and Hell/Luke 16:19-31
The Heaven and Hell that Jesus spoke of are not unrealistic or abstract, and while talking about a new world, He spoke of the most concrete and realistic everyday life as an example.
This is to say that Heaven and Hell are not surprising worlds with doctrinal and structured myths, but are countries that we can understand, participate in, and prepare for in reality in the reality we live in today.
I hope that it will be a life that is well prepared for heaven and well-prepared for heaven and hell, rather than a mysterious and unexpected country.
A rich man wears purple clothes and lives luxuriously, and at the gate of the house, a beggar named Lazarus suffers from boils and lives with dogs as his friends.
Now the beggar Lazarus died and was led by angels to heaven to be comforted by Abraham.
The rich man also died, but he could not find comfort in Hell, and he was troubled in the flames.
The rich man saw Lazarus being comforted in Abraham's arms and pleaded for even a drop of water, but he could not receive even a drop of comfort because he had already been in contact with many riches and was comforted by the world.
The rich man thought of his living family and appealed to them to send Lazarus to tell them the reality of Heaven and Hell.
In verse 31, the Lord said, "He said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"
There are already prophets in the world who are talking about heaven and hell, so the dead will not believe if they are alive.
That's right. There is heaven and hell. Those who work hard without being comforted in the world will be comforted in heaven.
But if you comfort yourself in the world and contact you with luxury, you will not be comforted in hell.
1. Those who enter the kingdom of heaven must have greater righteousness than the Pharisees.
(Matthew 5:20)
I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Who are the Pharisees?
They are the ones who emphasize their righteous deeds. Therefore, the righteousness of the Pharisees is works, and the righteousness that is better than that of the Pharisees is the righteousness given by the Lord through faith in Jesus.
This is clear. Is your own righteousness better than the Pharisees? Or is the Lord's righteousness better?
Heaven is a world that cannot be entered without faith.
Hell is the world of the unbelievers.
2
A fire broke out during a comedy show in a theater.
Comedians come out and shout politely. “Everyone, there is a fire in the theater right now, so please get up quickly and go out the door.”
The audience gathered there laughed and laughed and said that they joked before they even started.
The comedian screamed as he ran away in a hurry, but people thought he was doing a comedy, so he laughed, saying, “Don’t be funny,” and then burned to death.
If you talk about hell today, people say it's funny. But there must be hell, and we believe that those who do not have faith, those who have the righteousness of the Pharisees who live only by believing in their own righteousness, will never enter the kingdom of heaven and will go to hell.
2. Heaven is a beautiful and happy world, but Hell is a place of eternal fire.
(1) What kind of place is Hell?
①Hell is a world where the hot fire is not extinguished.
(Rev 20:10) And the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
(Rev 20:14,15) Death and Hades were also thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death, the lake of fire. Whosoever was not written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
(Rev 21:8) But the fearful and the unbeliever and the wicked and the murderers and the fornicators and the sorcerers and the idolaters and all the liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
The pain of fire is indeed great and terrifying. That's why the power of fire is called fire.
There is no recovery, no hope, nothing in fire. There is only pain and suffering and pain.
②Everyone we hate is there.
(Rev 21:8) But the fearful and the unbeliever and the wicked and the murderers and the fornicators and the sorcerers and the idolaters and all the liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Horrible people just thinking about them, scary people who don't want to be with them, should I be there when they are the only ones there?
(2) What kind of place is heaven?
①There are only believers.
We believe and live together now, so take a look at the person next to you. You will meet him in heaven. Let's say hello. “See you in heaven” Hallelujah!
There is no one we dislike. There were people who believed and lived together.
Being able to be with the person you want to be with, and living with the person you like, is happiness and blessing.
② There is a beautiful house.
Heaven is a beautiful place. There is a beautiful and happy home, without evil or danger.
(John 14:1-3)
1) Do not let your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.
2) In my Father's house there are many dwelling places, otherwise I would have told you, I am going to prepare a place for you.
3) If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, you may be also.
The ‘place to live’ here is a mansion, which refers to a luxury house.
There is also a mansion of 100 square meters. This place is beautiful because Jesus is there with us. Hallelujah!
③ It is good because there are no things that should be missing
In Hell and Hell, there were people I didn't like, but in Heaven there is nothing that should not be.
There is no night.
(Rev 22:5) There will be no more night, and there will be no more lamps and no sunlight; for the Lord God shines upon them, and they shall reign forever and ever.
There are no scary, dark and hopeless nights. The hardships suffered by power outages in the eastern part of the United States have gone through global news, but there are no blackouts and no dark nights in heaven.
No disease and no pain.
(Rev 21:4) He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor will there be any more mourning or crying or pain, for the first things have passed away.
Neuralgia, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, as well as AIDS and cancer.
There is no sea.
The sea is a place of storms and trials.
The sea is a place of farewell. Not long ago, people who went far away to other countries went out by sea by boat.
Nothing changes in heaven.
The world is changing and it's crazy. Yesterday's comrades have become today's enemies, so they grab the collar and pull the hair.
There are many things that change in the world, so yesterday I died and couldn't live, but today I am in a situation that is worse than ever.
There are many changes in the world, so yesterday's hometown is disappearing as a dam today, disappearing due to development, and changing back and forth.
(Hebrews 13:14,15)
14) We do not have a permanent city here, but we are looking for what is to come.
15) Therefore let us always offer sacrifices of praise to God through Jesus, which are the fruits of our lips that testify of his name.
Heaven does not change. The heart, the place, and the environment do not change, there is only peace, joy, happiness, and freedom.
(Hymns no. 222)
When our lives are over, we will live happily and joyfully with the Holy Father in a place of joy forever.
There I will live there in a happy and joyful house, there I will live there forever in glory.
3. In heaven, there are those who receive great treatment and there are those who are lowly.
You think heaven is fair, but it isn't. Jesus said that there are great and small in heaven.
(Matthew 5:19)
Therefore, whoever forsakes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others in the same way will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
If you live for the Lord in the short world and exalt the Lord, the Lord will exalt you in the eternal world.
If you are stingy with the Lord, the Lord will be stingy, and if you ignore the will of the Lord, the Lord will ignore you.
It's Chuseok when it was said, "No more, no less, just like Chuseok."
On this holiday, where I have been preparing abundant food since ancient times, I hope that I will be a person who will live a more abundant life on this earth by thinking of my hometown.