Why Some “Christians” Live In Hell and Go To Hell
Are you tired of feeling like you’re living in hell – even if you are a Christian? Unfortunately, many of us find ourselves trapped in a mindset of anger or offense that can truly feel like hell.
Jesus knew about our struggles, so he told lots of stories about heaven and hell. This video is going to dive into one of those stories to help us discover what we can do to avoid hell right now – while we are alive – and after we pass on. Stick around and let Jesus’ words change your life forever.
Jesus said, “There was a rich man where every day was like a party. There was also a beggar named Lazarus who would have gladly eaten any scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Lazarus was covered with sores, and dogs would lick them.
One day Lazarus died, and the angels carried him to heaven to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and went to hell, where he was CONSTANTLY TORTURED. As he looked up, in the distance he saw Abraham and Lazarus. He yelled, ‘Father Abraham! Have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue. I am suffering in this fire.’” (Luke 16:19-24).
Now this amazing story goes on, but let’s stop for a moment and focus on how the man who went to hell was CONSTANTLY TORTURED. I don’t want to be graphic but imagine endless and repeated agony of both mind and body.
Sadly, this is how our own mental pain can be when we torture ourselves – not others. Torture ourselves with anger and unforgiveness. It’s where we focus on how we’ve been wronged, we’ve been hurt, we’ve been offended, and we just cannot get over it. We get consumed by the fire of the situation, and when we do, we torture ourselves.
I know a 93-year-old mean-spirited man who has spent his lifetime perfecting the art of being ugly and angry. This man has no friends, eats alone in his room at the nursing home and yells so all the nurses are afraid of him. When we consider living and acting this way over and over – 93 years of getting angrier and uglier every year, we can probably agree that this man has made his own hell. In fact, he is tortured in it.
Now let’s ask the eternal question… After this man passes on, what if God simply honors his choices, and allows this man to follow the same path he has been on. Here we see how God never “sent this man to hell” but at the same time see how angry and alone this man will be over another hundred years, then a thousand years – or for eternity.
I’ve heard some people say that the very definition of hell is to be alone for eternity. All alone. And isn’t that the hell we find ourselves in when we are consumed with fear, unhappiness, or offense. We sulk by ourselves – all alone, in our own personal hell where we are literally tortured in our minds.
Now that we’re all terrified of hell, what is Jesus’ secret solution, so we never have to live or die in our own hell again. Hang tight because the answer is going to excite you!
To start, we must notice that every time Jesus talked about hell, it was in reference to how we related to others. For example, in Jesus’ story of Lazarus and the rich man, notice how the rich man begged Abraham, “Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue.” It’s amazing to see how this man in hell still saw Lazarus as someone who should serve him! But Jesus said that Abraham replied by saying, “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” (Luke 16:25).
And notice how this rich man must have been a religious man, simply because he knew who Abraham was. But being religious didn’t help the rich man one bit. So, this thought must lead us, as Christians, to reconsider our own destiny, and perhaps a good place to start is by taking a closer look at the Lord’s prayer.
After all, this is where we quote Jesus when we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” Probably the most overlooked part of this prayer is how Jesus ended the prayer without even a pause as he said, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).
It is super clear how Jesus makes his point over and over again. There is absolutely no doubt that our destiny of heaven or hell is all based on how we treat others, how we help others, how we forgive others, and on how we love others. It’s all about others. Beyond love your neighbor as you love yourself, Jesus raised the bar and said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
So what is Jesus secret to all this? Beyond knowing what we’ve talked about today, how can we even begin to put it into practice? Believe it or not, Jesus showed us his secret – and he actually lived it out while he was dying on the cross.
When we think about all the things Jesus could have said when he was dying on the cross, there is something incredible that Jesus never said – perhaps because he himself was so distraught and in so much agony and pain. Are you ready? Jesus never said, “I forgive you” to the people who were killing him.
Instead, he cried out to God in prayer – the same way he always did – as he looked to God, and prayed, “Father forgive them.” That’s right, Jesus prayed for the people who were hurting him and then, only after he was armed with the power of the Holy Spirit, he said in his own words, “For they know not what they are doing.”
What an incredible thought and example for us. When we feel like we are being crucified with anger or offense, where we ourselves don’t have the strength to forgive, we too can say, “Father forgive them.” In the same way, when we are overwhelmed with life or circumstances, once again, we’ve been given the secret to freedom by calling out in prayer first.
Seeking God is always first. And when we do this, we cannot help but to say, “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” Now, with our eyes focused on heaven, we suddenly see the needs of others. In doing this, we ourselves become more caring, more thoughtful, more generous and above all we become less focused on our own needs.
What a secret recipe to finding heaven every day. Not just in the afterlife, but today, right now. And it all starts first with a prayer. Let’s say a prayer together right now.
Dear Lord Jesus, we praise you and thank you for showing us what heaven is like. Thank you also for showing us graphic portrayals of what hell can be and showing us the way out of hell both now and forever, by praying to love others the way you would want us too. Finally, Lord, please forgive the people who have hurt or offended us. Forgive them Lord because they know not what they are doing. Forgive them, Lord, and let your forgiveness of them be our first step in also forgiving them. Amen.
