The
BlackberryPatch Pulpit
The pulpit ministry of Christ Lutheran Church Stover.
MO
By Pastor Tom Tuura
Facebook, Christ Lutheran Church Stover MO
The Rich
Man and Lazarus
June 2, 2013 Text: Luke 16:19-31
(This work adapted
from original notes given at Wright Ev. Free Church in Wright Minnesota 8/8/83,
and at a small rural church open only during the summer months in Atkin,
Minnesota in the same year. )
One question
that has been asked, written about, scientifically studied, and debated for
many centuries, yes, I believe throughout history.
It has no proven
documented answer, and doubtless none will be found by man.
This question is
asked of every person who has walked the earth.
Do you believe
in life after death?
Also, related,
what happens after you die?
This Scripture
gives a “post-mortem” after the fact account of a man’s life.
The Bible, to my
knowledge doesn’t ask this question. The
Bible takes for granted that there IS life after death. (i.e. It doesn’t set out to prove the fact)
The Bible
assumes that there is life after death.
The Bible not
only assumes this fact, but it has a lot to say about this matter.
Friend, have you
studied up on what the Bible says about your future after you die?
Heb. 9:27 “Just
as it appointed unto man to die once, after that to face judgment”
Matthew 7:13,14 “Enter
through the narrow gate,. For wide is
the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter
through it. But narrow is the road that
leads to life and only a few find it.”
I Unexpected Circumstance
vs 23 “The
rich man also died…”
The Rich man
dies. That was unexpected. Now Lazarus?
It was not surprising. He was
laid at the gate of the rich man. He was
covered with sores, and was undernourished.
His death was expected, and
awaited probably by the people who passed him by.
Now let’s note a
few things about this story. This is not
a message about liberation theology.
That is the belief that the poor have an inherent righteousness about
them, because they are poor. And
implied, at least, is the suggestion that wealth is evil.
Lazerus is in
Abraham’s bosom. Abraham was the very
wealthy Old Testament Patriarch. He is
the Father of the three main religions of the world. He was judged righteous in Genesis 15:6
because of his faith—nothing else, “Abraham believed God” it says.
According to today’s
society, hell is everything from an imaginary place in the mind to the brunt of
jokes. Not so in Scripture.
Hell is a place
of destruction: Matt. 7:13,14
Hell is a place
of condemnation John 5:29
Hell is a place
of torment Luke 16:23
Hell is a place
of punishment. Matt. 25:41
Hell is a
holding cell for the lake of fire and the second death Rev. 20:11-15
Why is there a
hell? Turn with me to Matt. 25:41 and
also Jude 6. Hell is a intended for the
devil and his angels. Listen to 2 Peter
2:4. “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,
putting them in gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment.”
(Hell in this
verse in the original GK is tartarow meaning the deepest abyss of Hades; to
incarcerate in eternal torment.
There is someone
missing from here. Jesus said, “for the
devil and his angels,” The notion that
the devil of Satan reigns in hell is not biblical.
Friend the devil
has never been to hell. He is not
tormenting anyone in hell, for when he gets there, he will be tormented
himself.
Where is Satan
today? Three times Jesus called him “The
prince of this world” Jn 12:31; 14:30;
16:11.
Paul calls him
in Ephesians 2:12 “As for you , you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the
ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who
are disobedient.”
Satan is the
king of the earth. Note the New
Testament’s repeated emphasis of separation from the world. James 4:4;
John 2:15-17
Friend Jesus
tasted you torment on the cross. “God made him who had on sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21
He has freed you from the kingdom of the devil.
Who is going to
hell? “He will punish those who do not
know God and don not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting
destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of
his power.” 2 Thess. 1:8,9
Do you know God?
What have you
done with the gospel message? Have you
obeyed the gospel? “From that time on
Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” Matt. 4:
Every heir of
Adam who dies without repenting of his sin, and receiving Christ as Savior will
abide in hell. Someone says, “what about
those who have never heard?”
[Brace yourself
there’s more]
First, God
reveals Himself to men through their consciences. “Since what may be known
about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s
invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without
excuse. Rom 1:18-20
Second, God is
the Judge. I don’t know about all the “special
cases”—perhaps no one does. We recognize
that God is going to do what’s right—with babies, and all who have never heard
the name of Christ. That’s ultimately
not our concern or realm for one reason.
We don’t have access the information.
Let me ask you,
What have you done with the gospel? Tell
me and I do know where you will spend eternity.
There will be many good, well intentioned people in hell.
Who else is
going to hell? The ungodly, gross men
and women. “In a similar way, Sodom and
Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and
perversion. They serve as an example of those
who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”
Jude 7
II Mistaken Request
vs 24 “And being in torments in Hades, he
lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he
cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus…”
Notice what he’s
doing here? Does he really think he has
any “pull” anymore?
Now he asks for
mercy?
And then, the
unthinkable brazen request…”send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue”
Who does he
think he is?
He still thinks
he can have slaves like Lazarus to do his bidding.
“…for I am in
torment in this flame.”
Torment-extreme
pain or anguish of body or mind—agony
Hell is
permanent according to verse 26. “And
besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that
those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from
here to us.”
There is no purgatory. The one who is there has a fixed sentence which
was pronounced at the resurrection when Jesus descended into the depths. All it’s inhabitants will be transferred
into the Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne Judgment.
All this is in
our confessions. All the church as noted
in the Apostle’s Creed believes in these things.
III Rejected Mission
Vs 27 “Then I
beg you father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five
brothers. Let him warn them, so that
they will not also come to this place of torment.”
Suddenly this
rich man has the missionary vision! Oh
what noble purposes the missionary vision is!
Its universal! All the departed
from this earth have it. Everyone in heaven certainly has it. From Hebrews 12:1, “Seeing we are surrounded
by such a cloud of witnesses” And from
the words of the rich man, those in hell do to.
What a tragedy that only a relative handful of people living have it
today!
Our former
evangelist Rev. Ken Pentti said, “The person who least wants to see you in hell
is the friend of relative who’s already there.”
And now it gets
really bad. Abraham’s words to the rich
man are the most damning yet.
“Son remember in
your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,
but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.” Luke 16:25
“Son remember…” Our Lord is teaching us the worst lesson
about hell in underscoring the memory of the damned. They will remember—everything. And apparently can see too.
I believe these
words are excerpted from my pastor Herb Franz’ sermons given in St. Paul’s
Lutheran in Cloquet Minnesota back in the 1970’s:
“If I make my
bed in hell, I will not forget the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit gently
pleading with me to come to Christ. And
I will not forget my selfish response.
“If I make my
bed in hell, I will not forget that by my refusal of Christ, I treated His
blood shed for my salvation, with contempt.
Hebrews
10:29 “How much more severely do you
think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified
him, and has insulted the Spirit of Grace.”
The
procrastinator will be in hell also.
Although he or she never intended on being thre in the end, their
eleventh hour came and went without them knowing it.
There is still
time to have your name written in the Lamb’s book of life!
Back to the rich
man one last time. The last words
uttered and here recorded by this man, ever for the rest of eternity: “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 hem, lest they also come to this place of
torment.”
Abraham replies,
“They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.”
The rich man
replies, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will
repent.”
And the words of
our Lord Jesus Christ telling this story, ring out for us, verse 31 “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.’”
The rich man is
heard from no more. His impressive
missionary vision was too late. No more
does his purple, his fine linen nor sumptuous living enter into the
picture. It’s his brothers. His memory of his life on this earth is all
he has left throughout eternity. No
flame can equal that!
…As we close.
How about you
Christian? Have you become complacent in
your task?
How’s your
family? Will there be anyone absent from
the table in glory?
While the rich
man in hell has perfect memory, and apparently a view into at least part of
glory, what about those in heaven?
Lazarus seems to
have no awareness of anything other than comfort and peace in the safety of his
new home.
Here it is. The thought that I can have no recollection
of loved ones, whatsoever who didn’t make it is unbearable in this life.
Read carefully
the passage in Revelation 20:11-15.
Verse fifteen says, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life
was cast into the lake of fire.”
I realize this
is conjecture, and using our human reason to make a conclusion, but in the
event loved ones don’t make it, how can
I enjoy heaven? Shudder to think it, but
might there be a cleansing of our memories of those loved ones? I can’t bear it. So we need to pray.
There is only
one thing better than heaven. Knowing
you sent someone there.
Amen
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