What Heaven and Hell Have in Common - Glenn Conjurske

What Heaven and Hell Have in Common

by Glenn Conjurske

A Sermon Preached on August 26, 1992.

[Though it cannot be printed on paper, it may benefit the reader of this sermon to know that almost all of it was preached with flowing tears and a voice choked with deep emotion. It is reproduced as it was preached, with only a few slight revisions.]

You can open your Bibles with me to the book of Luke, chapter 15. I’m going to speak to you tonight on what heaven and hell have in common. Let’s read first of all from Luke chapter l5, beginning at the beginning: “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

Father in heaven, I pray that you’ll help me to preach your word tonight. Father, you know that I’m unworthy, unfit, to preach this message, but I pray that for the sake of your people, and the sake of perishing sinners, that you’ll give me your power. I ask for your help, Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shed his blood that sinners might be saved. Amen.

Now we have here a picture of some of the inhabitants of heaven—-the inhabitants of heaven that have dwelt in heaven ever since they have been created. Now we know that there is a great deal in heaven to occupy their thoughts and their minds and their attention—-to take up their time. We see them elsewhere (the angels of God in heaven) in the book of Revelation, around the throne of God, singing continual praises to God. We know that there must be unbroken delight and pleasure in heaven. The Psalmist says there are pleasures for evermore at God’s right hand. And the angels undoubtedly may freely partake of all of the pleasures that are there. But in the midst of all of their pleasures—-in the midst of all of the soul-enchanting things that surround them there—-they’re occupied with one thing, and that is the salvation of souls on earth. It says there’s joy, there’s rejoicing, in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

I think that says that in the midst of all of the pure and bountiful pleasures of heaven, they never miss the conversion of a sinner. Whatever they may be occupied with up there, they always have one eye turned towards the earth, looking for the returning of a prodigal sinner—-always have one ear toward the earth to hear the news of a sinner come home to God. It says, there is rejoicing and joy among the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. Now I believe that implies that there is joy among those angels over every sinner that repenteth. They never miss one. They’re always concerned about that, and always occupied about that.

Now I said I was going to preach to you tonight on what heaven and hell have in common. You can just turn the page over to the sixteenth chapter of the book of Luke. We’ll see a picture drawn for us of the inhabitants of hell. Luke chapter 16, verse 23, it says, “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 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. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father Abraham, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house, for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets: let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

A lost soul, in the flames of hell. He has enough to be occupied about also, having no rest day nor night, but tormented in the flame, and begging for just a drop of water to cool his tongue. That being denied him, his thoughts immediately turn to the same thing that occupies the angels in heaven. There are lost souls on earth. He begins to beg Abraham to send Lazarus to them, to preach the word of God to them, that they might repent, and not come to that place of torment. Now it’s perfectly plain from these two scriptures that we have read, that even though the inhabitants of heaven and the inhabitants of hell have plenty to occupy them in the places where they dwell, yet both the inhabitants of heaven and the inhabitants of hell have one common concern, and that is the salvation of souls on earth. Unfortunately, neither of them can do anything about it. They must only spend their hours and days and years and decades and centuries looking to the earth wishing, and hoping, and longing, that somebody will do something to save the perishing souls on earth—-but they themselves can do nothing.

Well, there is somebody that can do something, and that is the saints of God that live on earth. But as the scripture says, “All seek their own things, and not the things of Christ Jesus.” And those days and months and years and decades and centuries pass away, and the church of God does very little to save the perishing souls on earth. I have an idea that sometimes the angels of God in heaven, in the midst of their praises to the eternal Father, cast an eye to the earth, and see the state of things down here, and turn their faces up to God in pain, and say, “Why don’t the saints of God do something to save the lost?”

You know, if there’s rejoicing among the angels of God every time a perishing sinner repents and lays hold of eternal life, in between those times there must be a lot of longing and wishing and yearning for those lost souls—-and those angels can’t do anything at all about it. You know what would happen if one time God made an announcement in heaven, and said to the angels that surround the throne, “There’s going to be a change of dispensation. I’m tired of waiting for the saints of God on earth to do something to save the lost. I’m going to give you angels an opportunity. I’ll give you five minutes to go down to the earth and preach the gospel to all that you can—-persuade all that you can to turn from the way of death, and flee from the wrath to come.”—-You know what would happen? There’d be a stampede. And the church of God has that opportunity, every day and every hour, and doesn’t do anything with it.

I have an idea that the same thing would happen if God went down to the nether regions, and announced to the lost souls who are in torment, “I’m going to give you a five-minute break from the torments of hell. You can go back to earth for five minutes.” You know what I think they’d do in those five minutes? I don’t think they’d be kicking up their heels enjoying their liberty. I think they’d go back to the lost souls on earth, and persuade them not to come to that place of torment. That’s what the rich man was concerned about when he was there, with no hope of a five-minute break. I think if he had a five-minute break, that’s what he’d do with it. But the church of God on earth does little or nothing.

I know, we attempt to do some things, but we’re not half earnest enough about it—-maybe not persevering enough—-maybe not bold enough—-not earnest enough—-not fervent enough. And I suspect above all, we don’t pray enough. I know how difficult it is to endeavor in this crooked and perverse generation to persuade people to turn from the error of their ways. I know how easy it is to get discouraged. But I also believe that God is the God of all flesh, and there is nothing too hard for him. And I also believe if we just cared more, we would do more. Maybe just pray more. Obviously we need more power if we’re going to do anything, if we’re going to accomplish anything. Do you spend your time praying for it?

Now I’m not going to be hyperspiritual, and contend that you ought to do nothing except labor to save souls. You can’t do that. Christ chose his apostles “that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach.” (Mark 3:14). First you need to be with him. Otherwise when you do go out to preach, you won’t accomplish anything anyway. Maybe you will accomplish ill, instead of good. And when those same apostles were in the midst of the work, he took them apart, and said to them, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31). I’m not contending any hyperspiritual foolishness, that you ought to do nothing but labor to save souls. I do believe, however, that we all could do more than we do do. The time is short, and eternity is for ever, and there are souls all around us that are on the broad road that leads to destruction. How many opportunities do we let slip away every day—-opportunities that the inhabitants of heaven and the inhabitants of hell would give anything for—-if they could just have one such opportunity—-but they can never have even one. And we let those opportunities slip away from us day after day, and do nothing.

Well, there are three classes of people that we’ve looked at tonight. The inhabitants of hell are concerned about the salvation of souls on earth. The inhabitants of heaven are concerned about the salvation of souls on earth. And we, the saints of God on earth, profess to be concerned about the salvation of souls on earth. The angels of God in heaven can do nothing about it—-only yearn and long. The inhabitants of hell can do nothing about it—-only wish and plead. We, alone, can do something about it.

They [pointing upward] would, if they could.

They [pointing downward] would, if they could.

We could, if we would.

Father, help us all, to be more faithful than we’ve ever been before. And you pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, that we might also be effectual and successful in turning souls from death to life, from sin to holiness, and from the power of Satan to the grace of God. Amen.

Glenn Conjurske