The Rich Man And Lazarus - [Luke 16]

1 view

0 comments

00:00
Don't know about you, but for myself and my family actually this is an exciting time of year for a number of reasons
00:07
The fall is one of them. We had a privilege of driving up to Methuen last
00:12
Sunday quite a drive But it was a beautiful beautiful trip with all the foliage that we saw along the way
00:20
And that is why I don't understand pastors who prefer the son of California over the
00:26
New England foliage But we also like this time of year because of Thanksgiving of course and my daughters in particularly love they're already beyond Thanksgiving They're looking to Christmas One of our favorite things to do at home is to sit down as a family and decorate the tree
00:47
And I asked my oldest daughter which ornament she will put up first this year and her response was
00:54
You're a Larry Bird ornament dad. We usually at Christmas time gather at my cousin's house
01:03
The night before Christmas Eve gather with my uncle and aunt parents and cousins and others and we exchange some gifts and Then Sunday Then the day after at Christmas.
01:21
We're alone as a family But the time together as a family with cousins and uncles is a precious time
01:29
This year though will be different for us as I'm sure some of you that may have already Experienced my uncle will not be with us for the very first time
01:39
Last Christmas, I remember seeing him Sitting on the couch in pain the doctors didn't know what it was they thought at first it was some kind of muscular pain
01:53
They couldn't decipher what it was until about four months later about April of this past year that it was cancer
02:01
They had to go into his leg operate on his bone Take it out put in some plates got to visit him in the hospital and then in at the house and Then on August 12th a
02:16
Sunday is when he passed away Excuse me
02:23
Three days later August 15th. I had the privilege of doing his funeral And when you're at the funeral as many of you have been to different funerals life comes to a sudden halt
02:38
Your mundane things that you go through in life, whether it's work or school or church
02:45
Worship everything that you do from Sunday to Saturday come to a sudden halt and you begin to think maybe as never before I Remember being at the church service and then we were at the grave site and seeing them lower him in the grave
03:03
So Christmas will be different this year. It'll be without my uncle for the first time in funerals and situations like that is a reminder of the brevity of our lives as James puts it so well
03:18
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring What is your life you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes
03:31
Moses in Psalm 90 put it this way The years of our life are 70 or even by reason of strength 80
03:45
Yet their span is but toil and trouble they are soon gone and we fly away
03:50
Away We were chatting about that with my wife earlier this afternoon
03:57
And I said one day We'll be gone Our life is but a mist. I Like you to turn if you will with me to the gospel of Luke chapter 16 the gospel of Luke chapter 16
04:13
The words of our Lord Jesus Christ here it's one of in my estimation one of the most riveting
04:20
Passages that our Lord teaches us concerning the brevity of life concerning life and death and The lessons we have to learn from this passage
04:30
Luke chapter 16 beginning in verse 19 There was a rich man who was clothed in purple
04:44
And fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day At his gate was laid a poor man named
04:53
Lazarus covered with sores Who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table?
05:02
Moreover even the dogs came and licked his sores The poor man died was carried by the angels to Abraham's side
05:11
The rich man also died and was buried and in Hades being in torment
05:17
He lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side and he called out father
05:26
Abraham Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue
05:34
For I am in anguish in this flame but Abraham said child remember that you in your lifetime received your good things and Lazarus and like men are bad things but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish and besides all this between us and You a great chasm has been fixed in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able and None may cross from there to us and he said then
06:05
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
06:16
But Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets Let them hear them and he said no father
06:25
Abraham But if someone goes to them from the dead they will repent
06:31
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
06:45
Notice how our Lord paints the picture here at the very beginning in verses 19 through 21
06:52
He puts a stark contrast between these two the rich man and the poor man verse 19
06:59
He says there was a rich man who was clothed in purple and in fine linen and who feasted sumptuously how often every day in Contrast verse 20 at his gate was laid a poor man named named
07:13
Lazarus covered with sores Who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table?
07:21
Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores rich man and Poor man live in quite different lives and Jesus sets us up with these two
07:41
To teach us what I believe are five essential lessons for our lives this evening
07:47
Five important truths that Jesus wants to teach us through this story The first one is very simply the certainty of death the certainty of death
08:00
Notice after he sets up the contracts of the rich man and the poor man in Their different states in this life.
08:07
He says Jesus does in verse 22 The poor man died Was carried by the angels to Abraham's side the rich man also died and Was buried
08:22
Notice that Jesus began the story with the rich man in verse 19 and then contrasted the poor man but when he talks about their death he begins with a poor man and Then kind of finishes our finishes it off with a crescendo by saying the rich man also died
08:43
Highlighted bold the Jews according to the
08:49
Talmud believe that a man could purchase salvation with alms So the richer you were the better chance you had to earn salvation
08:59
That is why later on in the gospel of Luke in chapter 18 The story of the rich young ruler is so riveting also
09:08
He comes to Jesus and says what must I do to inherit eternal life and Jesus, of course gives him the law
09:17
And he says yeah, I've done all this since my youth Jesus knowing that he was rich and Money had a grab on him said to him go and sell your possessions
09:27
Give to the poor and come follow me The text says according to dr.
09:33
Luke that the man went away sad Because he was a rich man. And of course Jesus's remark.
09:39
It's easier for camel to go through the eye of a needle than for rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven and That hit hard to his audience who were listening and it so it does here because they believed the richer you were
09:53
The better chance you had there was a divine blessing if you will upon your life and And so Jesus says the poor man died, but the rich man also died
10:07
Notice to that the poor man died. He says and what does he say after that was carried by the angels to Abraham's side?
10:15
But with a rich man, he says he also died and what happened he was buried Death plays no favorites rich or poor male or female young or old
10:28
That is why the writer of Hebrews makes it very clear it is appointed for man to die once Hebrews 9 27 and of course
10:41
Christ highlights here that the rich man also died and was simply buried Because all the things that he enjoyed in this life
10:50
Clothed in purple and in fine linen Feasting every day the things that the poor man
10:56
Lazarus didn't have he did not bring with him Job said at best in Job 1 naked.
11:06
I came from my mother's womb and naked. I shall return The Lord gave and the
11:12
Lord has taken away Blessed be the name of the Lord after he had lost everything from his children to his land to his livestock
11:22
When we lived in New York, my wife and I used to love visiting the city right in Rockefeller Center I found out some stories about Rockefeller rich man in New York when he passed away the story goes
11:34
Somebody had found out he was a millionaire. How much did he leave behind? They asked the response everything everything
11:45
That is why Jesus said What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet forfeits his soul
11:54
So we see here the first lesson that Jesus wants to teach us To remind us as we live our lives the certainty of death the poor man died, but the rich man also died
12:08
Secondly he wants to show us the reality of the afterlife the reality of the afterlife
12:17
Notice in verses 23 through 25 in Hades Referring to the rich man from verse 22 being in torment
12:27
He lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side and he called out
12:34
Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue
12:41
For I am in anguish in this flame But Abraham said child remember that you in your lifetime received your good things and Lazarus and like men are bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish
12:56
The rich man was in Hades to understand a little bit
13:03
We don't have the time to go through this at this point Maybe a future IBS class or something but to understand the afterlife as the scripture
13:11
Teaches there are three basic terms that are important to know the three terms are
13:16
Sheol Hades as is outlined here and Gehenna Sheol is a
13:22
Hebrew term in the Old Testament Hades and Gehenna are in Greek in the
13:27
New Testament Hades is actually the Greek parallel of the Old Testament Sheol Peter in 2nd
13:37
Peter 2 9 puts it this way Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment
13:51
This was Hades keeping the unrighteous under punishment until the future day of judgment when the day of judgment comes
14:01
Hades will give up its inhabitants and the wicked will be cast into Gehenna Gehenna is the
14:07
Greek term for hell in the New Testament Revelation clarifies this a little bit more revelation 20.
14:14
It says the sea gave up the dead who were in it Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them and they were judged each one of them
14:23
According to what they had done Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire
14:29
This is the second death the lake of fire And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire so she all in the
14:42
Old Testament or the Greek equivalent Hades as Jesus says here of the rich man was a temporary abode of the dead until the future judgment and until future resurrection into the eternal state
14:55
The point here Jesus wants to make is simple The afterlife is a reality
15:02
There is a conscious existence here Notice the terminology he uses of this rich man.
15:09
He says in verse 23 that he was in torment He says in verse 24 that he was in anguish
15:19
In contrast Lazarus verse 25 was comforted while he the rich man was in anguish
15:26
We do not just pass into nothingness There is a conscious existence in the afterlife.
15:33
That is the reality of the afterlife that Jesus is pointing us to not only the certainty of death and the reality of the afterlife, but number three
15:42
Jesus wants us to learn the finality of judgment the finality of judgment notice in our text in verse 26
15:58
Abraham says between us and you a great chasm has been fixed in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able and None may cross from there to us a huge chasm
16:15
This there's a finality to God's judgment There are no second chances after death.
16:21
There is no Purgatory a temporary abode for a future possibility of salvation
16:30
Hebrews 9 27, which I referenced earlier Continues it just as it is appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgment judgment
16:42
By whom by the righteous judge himself Who would be right and just to judge all
16:51
Christ through this wants to show us the finality of judgment There are no second chances after death fourthly, he wants us to see the necessity of repentance the necessity of Repentance and I want us to camp on this a little bit here tonight the necessity of repentance
17:16
You can almost hear the tone in the rich man's voice as Christ Tells the story verse 27 to 28
17:25
I beg you father to send him to my father's house For I have five brothers
17:32
So that he may warn them lest they also come into this place of torment verse 30 if someone goes to them from the dead they will repent in His conscious existence in the afterlife as he as he's facing the judgment of God in torment and in anguish
17:55
He is pleading with father Abraham pleading with him Begging him for what purpose that he may go and warn his family
18:07
And it's interesting that the rich man knew what was needed He knew of the necessity of repentance because he says in verse 30 if someone goes to them from the dead they will repent
18:20
They will repent the rich man knew at this point that repentance was a necessity
18:28
Repentance, of course was a major theme and thrust of preaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18:33
Actually, dr Luke earlier before he gets to Luke 16 He shows us that this was a major theme of Jesus preaching turn back with me a couple of chapters to Luke chapter 13
18:46
Luke chapter 13 By the way, if you ever want to understand repentance, you have to go to the
18:54
Greek. Dr. Luke the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts Now there are many who will say
19:03
Well repentance is not a requirement is not a necessity for salvation it's just a synonym for faith and the argument goes as follows the gospel of John being the most evangelistic of all the
19:17
Gospels because his Authorial intent is written in John chapter 20 verse 30 and 31 where John says
19:24
Jesus did many other signs John lists about eight signs that Jesus did miraculous signs but these these seven or eight have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the
19:36
Christ and I believing you may have life in his name and the argument goes well the gospel of John being as it is
19:43
Evangelistic in nature not once mentions repentance it mentions faith
19:49
So it has to be a synonym. Well, the problem with that is the gospel of John and we'll get to Luke 13
19:58
To see that this was a major theme of Jesus preaching. Why isn't it in the gospel of John?
20:04
The first three are synoptic Gospels. They were written much much earlier than the gospel of John John was not trying to cover old ground because they had set the precedence for repentance
20:18
Also, it was as if to say that because Jesus Christ from his own lips from the lips of our
20:24
Lord Jesus Christ Because he never mentioned the term grace There you go.
20:30
The Lord Jesus must not believe in grace Never came out of his lips But we see here.
20:37
Dr Luke shows us as he comes to this passage of the rich man and Lazarus even before that a few chapters before That this was a consistent theme in Jesus preaching repentance
20:48
Luke 13 beginning in verse 1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the
20:54
Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices And he answered them.
21:00
Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners and all the other Galileans?
21:06
Because they suffered in this way Question Jesus answer. No, I tell you but unless you repent you will all likewise perish
21:16
Or those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?
21:27
Question same answer verse 5. No, I tell you but unless you
21:33
Repent you will also likewise perish Turn to chapter 15 of Luke Luke chapter 15
21:43
He sets up here what is going on with our Lord Jesus and who he is interacting with who is his audience here verse 1 now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him and the
22:01
Pharisees and the scribes grumbled Saying this man
22:06
Receives sinners in each with them Jesus being omniscient and sovereign knew what they were grumbling about So, of course
22:17
He gives the three parables that we are familiar with The first one is the parable of the lost sheep at the end of which he says in verse 7
22:24
Just so I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance
22:35
Then he goes to the parable of the lost coin and finishes that by saying in verse 10 Just so I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents repentance
22:52
Was the theme of our Lord's preaching because as he highlights here in our story tonight the rich man and Lazarus It is a necessity
23:01
But what is repentance we throw that term around what is repentance? First and foremost it is a change of mind by definition from the
23:11
Greek metania It is a change of mind the change of mind about what about a few things
23:16
It's a change of mind as to how one is saved We have people living in churches who have certain views of how one is saved people think that Your religious affiliation can save you if they think this way they must repent of that People today even in churches believe that because they were baptized they are saved if they think this way they must repent of that People think that your faithful church attendants can save you they must repent of that being born into a
23:53
Christian family Can save you if they think that way they must repent of it.
24:01
They think morality can save them They need to repent of that Repentance is to repent of clinging to and embracing any false way of salvation other than what is outlined in Scripture as we know only the
24:18
Lord Jesus Christ can save That's why they gave him the name Savior Matthew 1 because he will save his people from their sins
24:29
It's not only a change of mind as to how one is saved But it's also a change of mind as to one spiritual state each one is a lost condemned sinner who is guilty of offending a holy
24:39
God and Therefore deserving of his divine wrath It's a change of mind also as to who
24:46
Jesus is Who is this Jesus? It's a change of mind as to who is on the throne of one's life self
24:55
Or the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords But not only is repentance a change of mind it is also a turning from sin and a turning to Christ turning from sin to Christ That is why in his opening chapter to the
25:12
Thessalonian Church. Paul says you turned to God from idols
25:19
You turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God That is why the
25:26
Apostle Paul said even in Acts 26 verse 20 that they should repent and turn to God the necessity of repentance of changing one's mind the necessity of turning from sin and turning to Christ But why is repentance required?
25:50
Why is it necessary as this rich man? Realized and he was pleading to Abraham to send someone from the dead to tell his family
26:01
Repentance is required for one primary reason because of judgment Remember the finality of judgment.
26:08
There's a chasm as we'll find out in a few weeks the tail end of Paul's message to those proud
26:20
Athenian Greeks Acts 17 verses 30 and 31. He says the times of ignorance
26:26
God overlooked But now he commands all people everywhere to repent why because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in Righteousness by a man whom he has appointed and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead
26:51
Repentance is required and necessary because of future judgment because of future judgment
26:58
So not only do we see the certainty of death here. We see the reality of the afterlife in a conscious existence
27:06
We see also the finality of judgment and the necessity of repentance, but finally we see here in our story
27:14
Jesus wants to teach us this the sufficiency of Scripture the sufficiency of Scripture verses 30 and 31
27:26
If someone goes to them from the dead the rich man says
27:33
They will repent He seemed pretty assured of that pretty confident verse 31
27:41
Abraham he said to him if they do not hear Moses and the prophets
27:46
Neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead We hear it all the time
27:59
People put out fleeces all the time Lord if you do this for me, then I will repent
28:07
He was convinced that his family would repent but father Abraham the father of our faith as we are children of Abraham Assured him otherwise in this text he assured him that they had
28:19
Moses and the prophets and If they didn't hear the scriptures neither would they listen if someone would rise from the dead people are looking for the sensational people are looking beyond the scriptures, but here
28:36
Abraham is saying that the scripture itself is sufficient is
28:42
This not what Paul was telling his young protégé pastor Timothy in 2nd
28:47
Timothy chapter 3 As Paul gives Timothy instructions as a young pastor to how he is to lead the church
28:55
Paul swan song 2nd Timothy, he says in chapter 3 right before that all familiar verse all scripture is breathed out by God verse 15 right before that Paul says to Timothy From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus Why from childhood because earlier in chapter 1 of 2nd
29:24
Timothy Paul reminded Timothy of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois And he says here to Timothy you have been acquainted through them of the sacred writings literally the holy
29:37
Scriptures that which is written down Which verse 16 is breathed out by God say up niftos that is the written sufficient revelation of God and Abraham is saying the same thing to this rich man here.
29:58
No your family will not repent Because they have not heard the scriptures.
30:03
They will not be convinced. Otherwise What can we take away from this tonight for ourselves?
30:13
first of all The response to the gospel is repentance Repentance that is a response to the gospel
30:22
What is the gospel it begins with? God The gospel begins with God that is why
30:29
Paul in Romans 1 said it is the gospel of God. It's not the gospel of man
30:35
It begins with God and it begins with the character of God. Who is God? God is the one who created everything
30:43
By the breath of his mouth He is the creator He is also the righteous judge
30:49
He has a right to justly judge all Why simply because he is holy he is without blemish without sin
31:00
Pure above all others. He is separate from us. The gospel is also about who man is
31:09
Man is a sinner in Need of a Savior near man is desperately dead totally spiritually dead in trespasses and sins
31:21
The gospel is about who Jesus is Jesus is Lord the term Lord when used in the
31:27
New Testament Primarily focuses on two aspects of Christ his deity and his sovereignty
31:34
That Jesus is God He was without sin and that he is sovereign that he is
31:41
Lord he is master He is ruler the King of Kings and the gospel is not only about who
31:47
Christ is But it's also about what he did as Paul outlines as we know in 1st Corinthians 15
31:53
He died for sins and he rose again the third day and unlike this rich man who did not repent
32:02
Despite the sufficiency of Scripture if as you're listening this tonight if you have never Repented I exhort you
32:11
Martin Lloyd -Jones put it very simply Studies in the Sermon on the Mount he said this about repentance
32:19
Repentance means that you realize that you are a guilty Vile sinner in the presence of God that you deserve the wrath and punishment of God that you are hell -bound
32:29
It means that you begin to realize that this thing called sin It's in you that you long to get rid of it that you turn your back on it in every shape and form
32:40
You renounce the world whatever the cost the world in its mind and outlook as well as its practice and You deny yourself and take up your cross and go after Christ your nearest and dearest And the whole world may call you a fool or say you have religious mania
33:01
You may have to suffer financially, but it makes no difference
33:06
That is repentance Secondly if you have genuinely repented what this story ought to cause for you is a heart filled with worship and praise and Thanksgiving Paul again in instructing in his final letter to young pastor
33:31
Timothy said in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verses 25 to 26 God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth
33:42
And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will
33:51
When you realize that you at one point were also enslaved you didn't have freedom of will
34:00
Your will was enslaved to do the will of your father the devil and that is why
34:05
Paul says to Timothy God grants repentance It's the same
34:11
Greek word for grace repentance is ultimately a gift of God's grace so that should cause you to overflow with thanksgiving and worship and praise to God for granting you that repentance and delivering you from slavery to the devil's will and Finally what it should cause you to do is to be more zealous for the sake of evangelism as we heard this morning
34:38
People are lost in the need of a Savior and We have that which is sufficient
34:46
People might be looking for other things might be putting out fleeces might be looking for the sensational
34:53
But we have that which is sufficient the Word of God Because it is the Word of God that is able to make people wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ And when we preach the gospel to them as the people asked
35:10
Peter on the day of Pentecost after he preached his Sermon at Pentecost they were cut to the heart the scripture says and They cried out to him and said what must we do to be saved in his response?
35:24
repent That is our call to people as we seek to evangelize
35:31
Father thank you for just as fresh lesson tonight of the truth of this story
35:37
We realize that we go through life and maybe not even have a thought of Eternity as we go through the everyday affairs of our lives
35:44
Maybe not until we come to a loved one or a friend passing away or someone within our church family
35:51
But Lord help us to keep eternity in our hearts and in our minds and help us to remember father the certainty of death
35:59
Help us to remember The reality of afterlife that we don't just pass away into nothingness
36:05
But there is a conscious existence after this life help us to remember the finality of judgment
36:14
Help us to remember also the necessity of repentance and the sufficiency of Scripture If there's anyone who's listening to this message who has never repented
36:25
Never changed their mind never turned from their sin to Jesus Christ. I pray that your Holy Spirit Will quicken them to do that that you would grant them repentance and I pray for those of us whom you've already done that for that our hearts would overflow with a sense of Gratitude with a sense of worship and praise
36:44
For the fact that you have delivered us that you have granted us Repentance and that you would stir us father with a heart for lost people that we would evangelize
36:54
Knowing that we have the scriptures We might not be smarter or better than anybody else, but we have the all -sufficient