“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” (Luke 16:26).
TEXT — Luke 16:19-31
Message
In thermodynamics, an irreversible process is one in which the system and its surroundings cannot return to their original state. The fuel consumed on a long journey cannot condense back into the fuel tank. We say something is irreversible when it cannot be undone.
Our text focuses on Lazarus, a beggar and the rich man who found themselves on the opposite side of eternity where their fate was irreversible. The rich man was cast into hell, a place of torment while Lazarus was carried into paradise. In hell, the rich man pleaded with Father Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to quench his thirst. The patriarch declined because of the great gulf between them. Next, he pleaded that someone should be sent from heaven to warn his brothers to repent, lest they also end up in hell. Father Abraham replied that there were enough preachers on earth to do the job if only his brothers would listen.
The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich, but because he did not repent genuinely and cared not for the needy while on earth. Poor Lazarus apparently lived a holy life that qualified him for heaven.
Our study shows that God is not a respecter of persons. Repentance is the gateway to salvation and there is no repentance in the grave. The refusal of Father Abraham to send an angel or preacher from heaven to warn the brothers of the rich man on earth indicates the superiority of the word of God to angelic or personal revelation.
We should not postpone our own salvation. And once saved, we should preach to members of our families that are not saved while they are still alive.
Thought for the day
If repentance is allowed in hell, no soul will remain there.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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