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There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, who feasted sumptuously every day, and at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades began in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his side. And he had called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish. And his flame. But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things. Lazarus, in like manner, bad things. But now he has comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you is a great chasm that has been fixed. In order that those who would pass from here to there may not be able, and none may cross from there to us. And he said, Then I beg you, Father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them lest they also come into this place of torment. But Abraham said, They have Moses, the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, But no, Father Abraham, but if someone comes to the house from the dead, they will repent. He said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.

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And I felt something nudge me, and I thought, man, we ought to go to the Oxford campus. And so we came in January, and we've loved being a part of it here. We tried to get plugged in to the best of our ability, and we really enjoy being here. Well, who is Mike Jones, you might say? Listen, uh, we I'm a longtime Sumter County uh resident. In fact, I was here uh before the villages even got here. And so uh but we've been gone for a long time. We've been gone since 1987 and just recently came back. Uh we did all kinds of things, uh, but but the mainly I did 30 years in the military, uh, 12 years in the Air Force, and 18 years in the Army as a chaplain. And I just retired, not this past January, but the January before last. And so that's who we are. We're coming back here. My mom and dad live here, and we know lots and lots of people that live here, and uh we're just so glad to be back. Many of you have asked, where are your mom and dad? Where are they at? Are they coming or are they not coming? And I said, Well, I'll make an announcement, I'll tell you what's going on. We need to pray before I start. And one of the things we're gonna pray for is uh the Christian Care Center, the men's center in particular, they're having a graduation this summer. I mean, this this Sunday at 11 o'clock. And so the reason my mom and dad are going there is because last May, Mother's Day, uh our youngest son uh called us. He was living in Oregon at the time, and he said, I need to get sober and I don't know how. And I said, I've got the place for you. We sent him a plane ticket, and when he got off the plane in Tampa, we didn't recognize him. Uh he weighed as much as he did when he was in ninth grade and just disheveled, looked like he had been on the street, and uh we dropped him off at the men's center, and this morning he is graduating. Praise God. The Lord has turned that around. So that's where that's where mom and dad are. They're they're there, uh supporting their grandson, and we told them you need to go there. And so we are some of our kids and part of the family. We're doing split operations, part of our family's over there, part of our family's here this morning. Another thing we're gonna pray for before I get started. Our world is in a precarious situation. Even if you are a casual viewer of the news, you know that uh we live in a very dangerous, dangerous world. And uh what we get from the news feeds is only uh a part of it. The world itself uh is is uh very fragile, uh, and it is extremely, extremely dangerous. And and so part of my job as a chaplain, uh I would deploy and I did six combat missions. My first combat mission was 15 months in Iraq, away from my family, in a combat zone. But I did six different deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, and then I did uh three other uh special operations down in uh Central South America uh as well uh with our special operations groups. And so this morning, in part of my prayer, I want to pray for our troops uh because uh the in the Middle East, especially, uh it is a tinderbox and uh lots going on there, and I know that we have aircraft carriers that have marines on them, and and I know that our president said that he does not want to commit ground troops, uh, but we need to pray, and we need to pray for our soldiers. Here's the deal: somebody somebody told me this morning, they said, Preacher, uh, bring the fire this morning. I said, I'm not bringing the fire, I'm bringing a fire extinguisher this morning. Uh uh, and that's what I want to do this morning bring a fire extinguisher because our passage that we read is full of what happens if you don't follow the Lord. But our troops that are poised and ready to go, they have good chaplains in those units. Uh, and they preach the gospel message. Believe me, they preach the gospel message. And the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, is a huge fan of chaplains, uh, and he has unleashed the chaplain core to say, we want you to preach the gospel to the soldiers. And so praise God for that. There have been administrations where we were uh hamstrung to say the least, and so uh we will pray for them. If you've got your outline this morning, keep that handy. Uh, but more importantly, if you've got your Bible, keep that handy as well, as we are going to be in Luke chapter number 16 uh this morning. Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, for your goodness and your grace to us. Lord, we just pray this morning that you would uh have your will in your way in the service. Lord, the the music has been on point. Uh everything thus far to uh this section of our worship service today has been amazing. And so, Father, we pray that you would continue to bless. Lord, we uh want to pray for our men in the men's center. Lord, uh many of those guys have come to the end of themselves. And Lord, you are doing the heavy lifting at the men's center, trying to change lives through your Holy Spirit. And Lord, we uh offer our congratulations to the men that are graduating this morning, and we're so proud of them. But Lord, we know as Satan has been at work in their lives previous to this, he's not happy about where they're at. And so he will come and test these men like never before. And so I pray a special prayer of anointing and blessing upon them, Lord, that they would uh continue to follow you uh even after what the program has offered to get them back uh on the right track, and many of them coming to a saving knowledge of you during this time. Father, we pray for our country, we pray for our military especially, and Lord, my heart uh my heart is split. I want to be back with my people. But Lord, I know you've called me to a different phase in life now, a different place. Uh and so I commend them to you. I commend the so the sailors, the soldiers, the airmen, the marines, Lord, the Coast Guardsmen and Space Forces, all of them, and even our foreign military and the civilians that work in the ranks as well. We pray for them. Pray for our leaders, pray for our um political leaders as well. And Lord, that you would give them prudence and wisdom uh from on high. Lord, we ask this prayer in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. If you've got your place in Luke chapter 16, that's where we're gonna be. Uh and so uh we're gonna preach a sermon that is entitled Grave Truths About Eternity. We're continuing in the parable series, and I don't know about you, but I have enjoyed Garrett's preaching through this. Here's what I will say about Garrett: Garrett punches above his weight class. You know what I'm saying? And so I don't know what he's getting paid, but he's preaching above his pay grade. Uh it's none of my business, but but uh I'm telling you, Oxford, you guys got a pastor here, amen. I mean, I'm here to tell you, the guy is amazing. And for those of you who don't know, funny story, I even though I was at the main campus and I've been there for a few years and back and forth, and I knew Garrett, and we love here's what my dad said. My dad said, there's two preachers I love to hear when I go to church at First Baptist, Cliff and Garrett. Let me know when they're preaching, and I'll come with you. Uh, he didn't he didn't say that in a negative way, he just enjoyed their preaching, and I enjoy Garrett's preaching uh as well. We have got us a great pastor here. Uh and it ought to make you proud when you invite somebody to church that you know that they're gonna hear somebody that brings the whole counsel of God's word. When we got here to the campus here, uh uh Garrett walked and he walked right past us. And I had told Garrett, we're coming to be, and he walked right past us. And I thought, wow, I must have said something to offend him. Uh and it wasn't until two or three weeks later he said, Mike, you do know I'm blind. And I said, You're blind? I didn't know, I didn't realize that he didn't see me. And so if you're visiting and Garrett walks right past you, he has a vision impairment problem. He can see peripherally, but not in front. Uh and and can you imagine being able to preach the way that Garrett preaches without any notes or anything? Just extemporaneously being able to preach. We have a pastor. We do. All right, enough of that. Enough of that. Uh Luke chapter 16. Luke chapter 16. We've only got a few minutes. And I want to make as much and squeeze as much as I can out of this particular passage. My mom-in-law will be 102 on her next birthday. Isn't that crazy? And when she was able, she's not able anymore. When she would come to family functions, she would bring an appetizer, because we always eat, anytime family gets together, you gotta eat. And she started bringing this appetizer, and it was called Jezebel. And I thought, what is this? Uh and so you know, when she brought it, you know, we were kind of, you know, what is this? Jezebel is apricot jelly and the absolute hottest uh horseradish that you can find mixed together, and then you spread it over uh cream cheese and you eat it with crackers. And I had the same response many of you had when you said, Oh, oh, and and I begrudgingly I ate one, put it on a cracker, and ate it, and I had the same response. My mouth didn't know what to do. Uh it was sweet and it was hot, uh, and the cheese, and then it was just, it was one of those weird combinations. And I thought, I tried one, I don't know if I'll try another. And then for too long, I thought, that was pretty good. I think I'll go back for seconds. And she uh would bring, and it would go really quick when she would bring it because people the passage that we read this morning is like crawling in a sleeping bag with a porcupine. It's sweet, but it's hot. Uh there's some things about it we love, and there's some things about it that we question, and that we don't know exactly how to take and what to do with it. When I was in North Carolina, I pastored at a church there for five and a half years while I was in seminary, and it was an old country church, you know, brick had the pillars and up on the little hill, and uh lots of uh older folks like you, and and uh I would go run to the back just like Garrett does and shake everybody's hands, you know, they'd open the doors, and you know, I'd shake everybody's hands. There was a lady, I preached a sermon that contained an element about hell, and I preached it to the best of my ability. I've never preached from uh Luke chapter 16 before, but I did preach that morning uh on one of my points was was about hell. And this particular lady said to me, Preacher, I never knew what hell was really like until I heard you preach. And she shook my hand and left. To this day, I don't know what she meant. So if you tell me, I didn't know what hell was like until I heard you preach, Mike Jones. Uh please try to clarify a little bit. Tell me why. Was it what was written in the Bible or my poor preaching ability? Which one was it? I don't know. But but that is the truth. Hey, let's look at what Luke 16 teaches about eternity. Our first point is this a grave truth about eternity is that actions on earth matter. In verse 19 of our text, we're gonna read this again. Look at what it says. There's a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, who feasted sumptuously every day, and at his gate was a poor man named Lazarus, covered in sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. This gives a vivid picture of what is happening here. And I'm telling you the same thing that we read here, and the same thing that is on our main point, every moment in life matters. Every word matters, and every action matters in life. The things that we do, don't think that we live here, and there'll never be a day where an accounting will come. We would like to think that it would not be so, but the Bible clearly teaches that there will be a reckoning one day. And we read through that as Owen did, just a fabulous job reading our passage. Thank you, Owen, for doing that. But in these verses, we see that there are two people, two very different lives. We see Lazarus and we see an unnamed rich man. This is the only parable in Scripture. You can go back and listen and read, but it's the only parable where Jesus happens to mention someone by name. Now, who was that? It was Lazarus. He mentioned Lazarus. Lazarus was who he mentioned. Now, why did Jesus choose to keep the identity of the rich man a secret and anonymous while he named Lazarus? I think there's something that we can tell if we tease out the scriptures a little bit. You see, in John 10, 13, it says this my sheep hear my voice. And let me go back. The sheep hear my voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. So, what is the implication here with Jesus naming all the parables that we have heard up until this point? What is the implication that all of a sudden Jesus felt the need to name Lazarus? And here's another point. There's much debate over whether or not this is actually a parable or this is a story that relays real life of what we know that Jesus used parables. He didn't name the people, and he used them. The parables are like the windows of a house. They not only allow the light to come in, but they allow you to look out as well. And it's like Garrett has said the parable starts here on earth, but it ends in heaven. But why is it that Jesus chose to call Lazarus Lazarus? Because he knew who Lazarus was. He knew his voice. Jesus knew Lazarus. Three times in the book of Luke, we find Jesus speaking about rich men. If you go back, you remember in Luke 16:1, Luke 12, 16, and in Luke 16, 19, Jesus told parables and he included these parables to be taught about certain people and he called them rich men. And all three of those. He never once named who these rich men were. Why is that? I think that we understand why that is, and that was that simply these men were known by what mattered to them most on this earth, and that was riches. Unlike Lazarus, Jesus didn't know who the rich man was. Aren't you glad that your name, if you have walked the aisle, if you've trusted Christ, if you've said, I've come to the end of myself, and I want to make eternity certain in my life? Aren't you glad? Let me hear an amen. Aren't you glad that your name is written in the Lamb's book of life? And that Jesus knows your name. Amen. He knows who you are. He doesn't necessarily have to call you by what you value most in this earth. What is it that you value? What was the difference? The difference was not in who you know, but who knows you. Think about that. Who knows you? Is Jesus waiting to call you by name? I certainly hope he is. When I would deploy, and that 15-month deployment I told you about to Iraq, uh, with the the deputy commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division was Brigadier General Buchanan. And he came to me one day, he said, Chaplain, he said, I might not make too many of your chapel services that you have, but I'll expect you to be in my office every week to offer me communion. And I was like, Oh man, this is great. This is awesome. I'm so glad. He affirmed who I was, he understood, but he was from a Lutheran background, and he was used to taking communion every week. And let me tell you, on the battlefield, when the battle is raging hot, sometimes it is hard to get to chapel services. And we used to do multiple chapel services just to make sure that we could get people there. But here is the general, the deputy commanding general, coming to a lowly captain. And it was pretty neat because I would go to his office where he would have his office. He had nice, you can imagine he was a general officer, had great quarters, had great office, great digs, even in downrange situation. And at first I would see his aide and I would say, Hey, the general wanted, I would be very sheepish. Hey, the general asked if I could come by and give him communion. And then he would think, Oh, well, he didn't tell me this. And so he'd go check and, well, yes, I told the chapel, but anytime he's here, you just tell him to come on in. And so the, you know, the aide got a little bit spooked by that at how that I would have immediate access to General Buchanan. And so every week I would come and the aide would just do this number here. He wouldn't say anything. And he would say, Mike, I'm so glad you're here, General Buchanan would. And we I would offer him communion and we'd read a passage, and then I would get to him, because I did the same thing. I would say, hey, sir, here's our notes from the last sermon. You need to read this passage and here. And I would already have filled out everything. There wouldn't be no blanks on it because uh I wouldn't want him to do, you know, to have to figure out what it was. But I would give him that. And before too long, he could hear me, hear me coming because I would recognize that, and he would say, Mike, come on in. His office. There would be a little waiting area there. Mike, come on in. This is the same deal. The general knew who I was, and he called me by name because of the position that I had as the chaplain, the relationship that we enjoyed, he would call me by name. This is the same thing that is going on here. Jesus called Lazarus by name, because Lazarus, even though his situation in life was bleak, even though you read exactly what it says, that he was a poor beggar. And I don't believe that Lazarus happened to go there. I think this is where they sat him. I think this is where his friends kind of got him, and that he would sit there, and his life was just uh just as awful as you can imagine when it the commentary says that even the dogs came to lick his sores. He was probably a sight to look at, but I'm here to tell you, even though his life seemed to be empty, his heart was full because Jesus knew his name. You see, what happens on earth matters. Every action, everything that we do, every moment, every word matters to the Lord. What actions in your life might need to be amended today? Certainly, you don't want to be known by what you value the most. You want to be known by who you place your faith in. Next, I want you to notice a grave truth about eternity is that heaven and earth are real. In verses 22 through 24, heaven and earth are real. 22 through 24, it says this that the poor man died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus at his side, and he called out. And said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. Heaven and earth, heaven and hell are real. They're real places, real identities. And in this particular passage, we see figurative language used. We see the term Hades, and we see in this flame, it's a literal place. Figurative language. And figurative language encompasses the variations of speech and metaphors and similes and so forth and so on. And this is the case in our text when we read Abraham's bosom. If you have a King James, I like the King James, Abraham's bosom or Abraham's side, and Hades. You see it other places where it's mentioned as Sheol or different places. All of those things are figurative language to say the same thing. They are different words for hell, but also the same thing about Abraham's bosom or Abraham's side. It's speaking of heaven. The Bible tells us plainly to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord. It's not this holding place that we might think. It is speaking of heaven and hell. And heaven and hell are very real. And in fact, the Bible is our only source to learn that there are such a place called heaven and hell. It's our only source. Science doesn't know anything beyond the grave. Human nature doesn't know anything beyond death. And if we're going to ever know anything, us here and us that remain, if we're going to know anything about heaven or hell, we're going to have to learn it from God in the pages of his book. Now the Bible speaks clearly about what happens when we die. But we don't know all of exactly what happens. But we do know this: that Jesus taught that there was a heaven and it will be sweet and it will be beautiful, and he taught that there was a hell that ought to be shunned at any cost, that we ought not to want to have to go to this place of torment. And then in fact, in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, it says this about the Lord, about God, when He in eternity past. Here's, listen to this. Ecclesiastes 3 and verse 11 says, He's made everything beautiful in his time. Also, he has put eternity into the heart of man. Listen to this, listen to what it says. This is not even debatable. We would want to be able to say, Well, I don't believe that there will be a heaven. I don't believe that there will be a hell. I think that we will just die like an animal and that that's it. Once we lived our life, throw a little dirt on me, and that's it. I mean, that's just over. No, your consciousness will continue throughout eternity. And we would be wise to look in the pages of Scripture to see what it says about each. Not necessarily that you're going to go to one and then maybe go to the other. No, you're going to go to one, period. And we're going to look at that here in just a minute. But you need to learn as much as you can about both places. You know why? You need to be prepared for where you're going, and you also need to be able to compel others to keep them from going to the place where they may be going as well. It's good, it's advantageous for us. You see, as believers, reflections of heaven bring forth a deep sense of hope and anticipation for what lies ahead beyond this life. And it challenges us to grow and embrace the promise of eternal life and to seek a closer relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. He's preparing a place, He's preparing a mansion for us, He's preparing a place for us to be. But conversely, conversely, those who reject a relationship with Jesus Christ, listen, listen, let me make it clear. Be crystal clear. Conversely, those who reject a relationship with Jesus Christ should have a deep sense of impending doom and hopelessness for what lies beyond the grave. Sobering. That's why this passage is like getting inside of a sleeping bag with a porcupine. We love to hear about Abraham. And in fact, if you're a child of God, you ought to said amen when I read the first few verses of this point, because it said this after Abraham died, it says that the angels carried him to Abraham's side. Isn't that a glorious thought? Hey, listen, during COVID, our loved ones had to lay in a hospital and die by themselves. We could not go in and be with our loved ones. Many, many people just died by themselves. Very, very sad thought. We don't want to do that. Certainly I want, hey, listen, I hope my grandkids are around. I hope my children are. I hope my wife's there, holding my hand. I don't want to go anytime soon, but I mean, if I did go, I'd want people to usher me in. But listen, here is the here is the hope that we have as believers. It's this when we get ready to pass on, you're not going to have to do it by yourself. You're going to have angels to usher you in to the presence of our Lord. And you'll hear him say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord. Amen. Nobody said amen about that, but you better be saying amen. That's a glorious thought. We read conversely, though, when you die and you're without Christ, you have the same, you can expect the same future as what the rich man had. It's a very sobering thought. Well, while on earth Jesus only spoke of heaven one time in John 14, he said, My father's house are many mansions, but he spoke 14 different times, and many of those in the parables about hell. You see, the greatest hell fire and brimstone preacher that ever lived was our Savior Jesus Christ. And even in this passage here, he's trying to turn the. Remember, Garrett, beautifully, every time he had a he taught on the parables, he would tell you where it happened. He would tell you who he was talking to. He would tell you, Jesus was talking to these Pharisees, and he was trying to shake them and wake them out of their slumber to tell them, here is what your future is going to consist of. You see, we live in a world of contrast and comparison. Think of the contrast and comparison. Ever since you've been a baby, you've understood it. There's day and then there's light. There's life and there's death. There's strong and there's weak. There's rich and there's poor. And you know, we live in this world for a reason. Our Lord created it this way. And we believe because Ecclesiastes chapter 3 says that he has put eternity in our hearts. We know that it exists. Don't act like it doesn't because you're saying that the scripture is wrong. And we know that it is correct. It is absolutely true. But we have a sense of contrast and comparison, just living in this natural world. God ought to put it in our hearts, and He has put it, to believe in an eternity, listen to this, which consists of a contrast and comparison, just like many of the things in your life. There's an on, there's an off, there's a light, there's a day, there's a bitter, there's a sweet, there's a heaven, and there's a hell. You see, it would be cruel to create a hell without a heaven, or a heaven without a hell. And it would be inconsistent with the character of our God that we so dearly believe in. What do you believe? These are grave truths about eternity. There is a heaven, and there is a hell, and it is real. One day you and I will die like Lazarus. We're gonna die. We're gonna die like Lazarus. And it would not be fair if I didn't tell you what the fate would be. You're gonna go to heaven or you're gonna go to hell? Where are you going? What place will you reside in? We must hurry, and we've got to go on. But the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27, it's appointed unto man once to die, but after that is the resurrection and the judgment. Belief on waiting in God's time about what he's going to do in our life is paramount for us. Our third point, if we can get there, and we're, man, I've got to, I've got to fly. Uh uh, you guys listen fast and I'll preach fast and we'll get done with this, all right? Verses 25 to 26, it says this. But Abraham said, Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner bad things, but now he's comforted here, and you're in anguish. And besides all this, between you and I is a great chasm has been fixed. And in order for those who would pass from here to there, you may not be able to, and none may cross from there to us. You see, the rest of this is a conversation between Abraham and the rich man. What has happened with Lazarus is all done. It's all over. He's sitting there at the feet of Jesus. But how sad these verses are. How sad to know that we have loved ones, that we have children, that we have neighbors that will pass from this life into the next without the knowledge, the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It's very sad. And we need to be able to clearly tell about the story and to prepare for eternity. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2 says, For in a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Saying what, Pastor? What do you mean? I'm telling you, don't put it off. Don't put off till tomorrow what you know that you need to do today. You're a procrastinator. Go ahead and handle your business with the Lord. There was a younger Christian and he kept praying to the Lord. He knew where he was going, but he was anxious about the future. And he was a baseball fan. He prayed, Lord, just tell me, is there gonna be baseball in heaven? And he'd pray and pray and pray and pray. Finally, the Lord, he guy prayed this same prayer over. The Lord said to one of his angels, hey, go down and visit Clayton and tell him what the deal is. And so the angel went down and he found him and he said, Hey, you've been praying this prayer. The Lord sent me down here. I just want to tell you that there is baseball in heaven. That's the good news. Now, you want the bad news? He said, sure. He said, You're pitching Thursday. You don't know what's coming between your life and Thursday. It may not be the angels coming to escort you to Abraham's bosom. It might be the imps of hell that come to carry you to your eternal reward. We need to prepare today. Preparation for eternity begins right now. Fourthly, Cliff has these long outlines he expects us to preach. I'm about a three-point guy, and that's it. Look at our fourth point. Separation from God is horrifying. Verses 27 through 28. And he said, then, I beg you, Father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them lest they also come to this place of, and what does it say? Torment. Torment. That's not a word we use too often, uh unless you've got four or five kids and you know that uh they torment each other and then they torment you, you know. I mean, we but we don't, it's not a common word that we use in our vernacular, but it means extreme pain or anguish or uh physical mental anguish, but it can also describe suffering uh as a great distress. And so we know what this says. It says that in hell he was in torment. Remember what we know about hell is what the Bible teaches us. This is not what we've gathered through science. This is not what we go out into the public and we're gonna take a survey. Well, what do you think? It really doesn't matter what we think because it's already been settled. The ink is dry on the pages of the Bible, and we ought to believe exactly what the Bible says. But know this that separation from God will be its own part of torment. Living in a place where there's no godly influence, living where there's an absence and a void of God's influence. The Bible only tells us what being in hell is like. It does not explicitly say what hell is or exactly how it functions or what's going to be going on, but it tells us that hell ought to be avoided at all costs. I know people, if there's anybody here today that does not know Christ as their savior, you've heard this before. And here's what I will say to you: God has been merciful to you to hear the gospel one more time. You will be without excuse. You need to listen. Even those that were around in Jesus' time, listen to what Jude says about this. Here's what Jude. Jude wrote this short little book at the very end of the New Testament, and it was so short, it only had one chapter. But listen to what verses 22, uh 20 through 23 say. It says this, but you, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, this is this will be Lazarus, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. But verse 22, the little switch here, and have mercy on those who doubt. Verse 23. Save others by snatching them out of the fire. How aptly is that for today's message? That when we care enough to share the gospel with somebody and we share with them what the Lord says, how do we get to heaven? That literally Jude said it's like you snatching somebody from the fire because that's what their eternal fate will be if they don't come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The veracity of scriptures, it mends together. Separation from God is horrifying. How does this motivate our evangelism? We need to be on point when we are telling people about Jesus Christ. That's why we have the missionary focus moment. When you see the video, we send missions, we believe it. We use our money to send people to the uttermost parts of the earth so that they can hear the message of Jesus Christ and save them from an eternity separated from God. Our last point, and we'll be done, because I'm already out of time. A grave truth about eternity is this the truth of God's word eternally saves. Verse 29, but Abraham said, He's talking to the rich man, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, No, Father, no, Father Abraham. But listen, if somebody goes to them from the dead, they'll repent. And he said to them, If they don't hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if somebody should rise from the dead. Sobering. It's very sobering. This is like that Jezebel uh appetizer. You cut off a slice, you put it on a cracker, you eat it, you're like, mmm. I like the sweet, I don't like the I don't like the hot. And before long, you realize this is part of God's plan. This is part of his plan. And when we see it from God's perspective, when we understand from God's perspective, it all makes sense. That if there's a heaven, there has to be a hell. If there's a day, there has to be a night. If there's evil, there has to be good. God's word will eternally save. You see, he's given us sufficient warning to prepare for death. He sent his word, he sent his prophets, he sent his son, and he warns us through his Holy Spirit and by his messengers. Amen. Garrett's your messenger at this church. Well, what you don't find in these verses of scripture that we read is how to get to heaven or how to get to hell. It's not explicit in the passage. But we are told where to find the answer to the question. How can we find out about eternal life? It's through the Moses and the prophets. Jesus was the greatest prophet. And in John 3.16, when he was talking to Nicodemus, it's about as clear as you can get. He said, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. The gospel is wrapped up in that one verse. You see, all the gospel is, and when you get ready to evangelize, all evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where they got bread. And you have to tell the good news. If you know John 3.16, you know enough. You're blessed. Here, let me bless off on you and slap some water on you and give you a high five and a good game and send you on your way. Go tell others. There's a little Sunday school class. The teacher asked the children about believing in Jesus and going into heaven. And at the end of the talk, the teacher said, Where do you want to go? And all the children said, Heaven! And they all piped up, you know. And then she said, Well, what do you got to do to get there? And one little boy, his name's probably Mike Jones. One little boy said, What do you got to do when you get there? He said, Die. There's more to it. There's a little bit more to it. You need to place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. This morning's gonna be a little bit different invitation. Normally we just say, hey, keep your seats where you're at. Keep your seats where you're at. But this morning, I know and you know, that you have family members that don't believe the same thing that you believe. You have neighbors that don't believe like you believe. We know people in this world that we love. That when they die, they will not be in eternity with you. We need to use this altar to pray for them. But if you're here today and you don't know Christ, I implore you, I beg you, please come down, take my hand, and I will share with you the good news of Jesus Christ. Let us pray. Thank you, Lord, for this good day. Thank you for giving us the good news. Lord, this passage was so encouraging to know that when we breathe our last breath here, those believers, that the angels will come and escort us into Abraham's bosom. Abraham sighed, and we long to hear your words. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord. Lord, I want my family, I want my kids to know that. And I have children that don't know. They know academically, but they don't live it. I've got other family members that don't know. And so, Lord, I pray that you'd give them time and space to contemplate their life. Just here today as well, Lord, those in our auditorium. Lord, give them time and space. Help them, encourage them, nudge them to make the right decisions. Lord, for those of us that want to come and pray, I pray that you give them courage to step outside the aisle and come and kneel down at an old fashioned altar and pray for those who are Christless in their lives. Lord, we make this prayer in Jesus' name. And all God's people said, Amen.