Such was my first sermon this week.  Then Tuesday's Dallas Morning News featured on its front page an article titled, "On religion, there are few absolutes."  The Pew Forum for Religion and Public Life released an extensive study of American attitudes on religious subjects.  Here we learn some troubling facts.

·         70% of the religious public, 65% of Texans, and 61% of Southern Baptists believe that many religions can lead to eternal life.

·         Only 59% of Americans believe in hell.

·         Only 50% of college graduates believe that religious is very important.

There are some perplexing statistics in the survey as well.  For instance, 10% of atheists say they pray daily.  To whom, we're not sure.

The survey reflects a pattern which has been going on in America for more than a generation: the shift to truth as subjective and personal.  There are many philosophical and sociological reasons for this pattern, but the result is that truth is what you say it is, the way your mind interprets your sense data.  You have no right to force your beliefs on me.  I may say homosexuality or abortion are wrong for me, but I have no right to judge you.  If you want to sleep together before marriage, who am I to judge? 

93% of Americans say that they are their own sole determiner of moral truth.  Oprah Winfrey encourages us to find and live by our "personal truth."  Be sincere in your beliefs and tolerant of the beliefs of others--this is the mantra of our day.

What Americans don't stop to realize is that our opinions don't change reality.  C. S. Lewis remarked that the man who denies the sunrise doesn't harm the sun.  To deny the existence of hell makes it no less real.  As a pastor, it is very important to me that you know the biblical truth on the subject.  Jesus' parable makes some facts crystal clear.

One: Hell is a real place, mentioned 23 times in the New Testament, 15 times by Jesus himself.  The Bible describes it as "fire" (v. 24) and "darkness" (Matthew 22:13).  It is a place of separation from God (v. 26).  It is permanent (v. 26), the "second death" (Revelation 20:14).

Two: Who goes there?  Jesus was clear: He is the way, truth, and life; no one goes to the Father except through him (John 14:6).  Those who refuse Jesus' offer of eternal life, choose hell instead.  The word of God is clear: those whose names are not found written in the "Lamb's book of life" are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20.15).

Three: Is hell fair?  The rich man in our story never protests.  He knows he deserves to go there.  Heaven is a perfect place.  One sin would ruin it.  So Jesus died to pay for our sins, to cleanse us from them.  But if we refuse his salvation, we must pay for them ourselves.  This means that we are unable to come into the presence of God, forever.

I especially appreciate the way Calvin Miller puts it:  "God, can you be merciful and send me off to hell and lock me in forever?"  "No, Pilgrim, I will not send you there, but if you chose to go there, I could never lock you out."

Let me be clear and urgent: You must ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and become your Savior and Lord, or you will go to hell.  If you do, you will go to heaven.

The same is true for every person you know.  It's not enough to be a good person who believes in God, or to go to church or join a church.  You must have a personal encounter with the personal God of the universe.  Salvation is a gift only he can give.  But you must open that gift before it is yours.  Have you opened yours?  Are you praying for those you know to open theirs?