Luke 16:23
"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments..."
Can you hear the screams of hell, dear Christian? The tormented voices of moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas, sisters and brothers who have lost their souls forever. Listen quietly, remove the distractions, close off the world and allow the reality of hell to afflict your being. See those who lived morally approvable lives, those who donated to charities, adopted orphaned children, and loved the homeless, who are now gazing into the heartbreaking abyss of a Christless hell. View the drunk, the harlot, the morally impure, weeping for sorrow, for while on earth they found no remedy for their crooked paths. More painfully, see those you love, who are presently lost in this world, screeching for a pardon, only when it is too late. Gaze upon your child, who you nurtured and raised, who has rejected Christ, begging for a drop of water, desperately shrieking for mercy. Ponder on your mother or father who is a heartbeat away from endless anguish. See their eyes in that terrible place, sunk into the back of their charred and darkened faces. Allow hell to sink into your heart, and not just your mind. Recognize the anger, the frustration, and mournfully, the regret of millions who missed Christ while on Earth. Oh, my friend, let fear abide on our soul, as we consider that we possibly aided them to this demise. Our coldness very well might have pushed them from their only hope!
Billions will join this rich man if the gospel does not reach their ears. Oh, but dear believer, there is hope! You can still intercede for that poor wandering soul. You can still weep for your family that despises Jesus. You can still supplicate with many tears for the world. But will you? Will you stand in the gap for your children, your mom, your dad, the world? My fellow soldier, please don't let time slip away. Hell is nigh to the sinner, and Christ is the only hope.
Lord, we come asking that we might have hell continuously on our hearts, seeing that countless billions are without life. Let us not fail to win our families, our friends, our coworkers, but let us fight to win the world. Let our closets be a place of fervent prayer, that we might not stand before you with bloody hands. Thank you for delivering us from this place, and give us strength to help deliver others.
In Jesus name