Luke 16: 27-31 (NKJV)“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent. But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
Based on the Bible, the average life span of man is around 70-80 years old (Psalms 90:10), and the Old Testament tells us how it had been decreasing ever since sin entered the world after the Fall. Every person will die, but although we won’t be able to decide when we will die physically, we can certainly choose our destination after death—to be in heaven or to be in hell, and whether we will be with Christ or without Him!
Hebrews 10:27 (NKJV) but a certain fearful expectation of judgement, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
The Bible also tells us that we only live once and thereafter, judgement. We need to remember that God is holy and just, which is why He must judge the sin of the individual and the world. When people end up in hell or in the lake of fire, it is due to their rejection of the Gospel. They did not think that they needed Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour. Sadly, no ritual or prayer by anyone can change the destination of the departed spirit. They have wasted the one and only chance presented to them. Once the spirit departs, it is over! The rich man in the opening passage did not complain or question why he was in the place of torment; he was more concerned about his relatives who were still alive but rejected the Word of God.
On the other hand, God is gracious, loving, merciful, and righteous. Heaven should be our and our loved ones’ destination and goal. It is in heaven where there will always be worship, joy, peace, and no more sorrow, pain, sickness, suffering or tears.
Our loved ones may have never known and truly understood the plan of God for salvation through the work of the Messiah, but through us, they have the chance to know and be saved. When they are saved, they can stand on the promise that the moment they have taken their last breath, angels will carry and escort them immediately into the presence of God.
People will be lost in eternity forever if our loved ones, colleagues, and friends do not get the chance to hear and respond to the Gospel now. Therefore, let us take every opportunity to share the Gospel with them before it is too late.
Sermon Series: The Make-up of Man (Part 1)
趁未为时过晚，将福音传出去
路加福音 16:19-31 “财主说：‘我祖啊，既然这样，求你打发拉撒路到我父亲家去， 因为我有五个兄弟，他要警告他们，免得他们也来到这受刑罚痛苦的地方。 亚伯拉罕对他说： “他们有摩西和先知的话可以让他们听从。 他说，不，我祖亚伯拉罕哪，但如果有人从死里到他们那，他们就会悔改的。 亚伯拉罕对他说： “如果他们不听摩西和先知的话， 即使一个人从死里复活，他们也不会信服的。 ”
根据圣经，人的平均寿命在70-80岁左右（诗篇90:10），旧约告诉我们自从罪在人类堕落后进入世界以来，人的寿命是如何减少的。每个人都会死，虽然我们无法决定肉体何时死亡，但我们可以选择死后的目的地—是天堂还是地狱，以及我们是与基督在一起还是不在一起！
希伯来书10:27 惟有战惧等候审判和那烧灭众敌人的烈火。
圣经也告诉我们，我们只能活一次，之后有审判。我们需要记住 神是圣洁和公义的，这就是为什么祂必须审判个人和世界的罪。人最终会进入地狱或火湖是因为他们拒绝接受福音。他们不认为他们需要耶稣做他们的主和救主。可悲的是，没有任何的仪式或人的祈祷能改变逝去者灵魂的归宿。他们浪费了唯一的机会。一旦灵魂离开，它就结束了！前面经文说到的财主并没有抱怨，也没有质疑他为什么会来到这受刑罚痛苦的地方；他更关心的是那些还活着却拒绝接受 神话语的亲人。
另一方面， 神是满有恩典、慈爱、怜悯和公义的。天堂应该是我们和我们所爱的人的’目的地和目标’。在天堂有永远的敬拜、喜乐、和平，并且不再有悲伤、痛苦、疾病、苦难或眼泪。
我们所爱的人可能从未知道并真正理解神通过弥赛亚来拯救我们的计划，但通过我们, 他们有机会知道并获得救恩。在得救后，当咽下最后一口气的那刹那，他们可以抓住所应许的，天使就会立即将他们带到 神的面前。
如果我们所爱的人、同事和朋友现在没有机会听到和回应福音，他们就会永远失丧在永恒里。因此，让我们抓住一切机会与他们分享福音，以免为时过晚。
讲章系列: 人的构成（第一部分）
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