The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

Tonight I want to take some time to help us understand the connection between our relationship with God and how we treat others around us especially those who are less fortunate than we are. I also want us to take a look at the consequences of not turning from our sin and continuing in it. These are eternal consequences! We need to understand that only Christ can free us from the presence of sin. If you are a Christian tonight than I want you to know that we have a great responsibility to share our faith with those who don’t know Christ yet.

(Have someone read Luke 16:19-31)

Luke 16:19–31 ESV

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 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.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 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.’ ”

I Want to Share with you Three Noticeable Differences from our Parable.

1. These Men Had Different Lives.

Clearly these guys had different backgrounds. The rich man here had a very wealthy life style. He had lots of money and because of this dressed nicely. He had the newest clothes and Air Jordans that money could buy. This rich man had any kind of food he wanted to eat. He had the best of the best. He enjoyed life to the fullest.

Now on the opposite side of the wealthy lifestyle was this character named Lazarus. We know that he was a poor beggar who laid around at the gate to the rich man’s house. He begged for scraps of food from the rich man’s table and was dealing with some kind of disease. He was afflicted with some kind of skin disease because the dogs were coming around to lick his sores. I mean this was really gross. In first-century Jewish culture, dogs were seen as unclean scavengers. However these dogs were able to give Lazarus more kindness than the rich man could give. So, this was a little background about the differences in these men’s lives. One came from a very wealthy background and had everything he needed while the other was just a poor beggar.

The Second Noticeable Difference was this.

2. These Men Had Different Deaths.

Now this may come across very weird, but it is important that we understand what is happening here. In verse 22 we are told that the poor man Lazarus dies. When Lazarus dies, the angels carry him to Abraham’s side. Abraham was one of Israel’s forefathers. In fact, God made a covenant with Abraham that through his family would come the nation of Israel. So, nothing is said about the actual funeral or burial of Lazarus, and there is no evidence that his death really mattered to anyone. Life went on as normal for everyone else. However, after Lazarus died we know that there was incredible honor and glory that awaited him in heaven.

Again to the opposite side of this spectrum we see what happened to the rich man when he died. In verse 22 we see that the rich man also dies and he awakens to torment in Hades or (Hell) Luke mentions here that this rich man recieved a proper burial where everyone to time to pay their final respects and gave him a proper burial but none of this mattered because he never cried out to God to save him from his sin and repent and turn to the Lord. This man did not receive any kind of heavenly honors because he would now spend an eternity in hell. Forever and ever he will be in torment and pain. These men both had different kinds of deaths.

The final difference is the one that I want us to spend a little bit more time on.

3. These Men Had Different Eternities.

For one man the consequence of his life and how he lived was an eternity in heaven while the consequence for the rich man was an eternity in hell. This has nothing to do with being rich or having lots of money. This has everything to do with turning from your sin and trusting in Christ as your Lord and Savior. In verse 23 the rich man who was in Hell looks up and sees Lazarus who is at Abraham’s side. Instead of crying out to God he asks Abraham to have mercy on him by sending Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool off his tongue. This is a picture for us to see how awful hell truly is. The bible tells us that it is a place of weeping nashing of teeth. It is a place of constant torment. The rich man who once lived life to it’s fullest and had the best clothes and the best food while he was on earth was now begging for a drop of water. During his life the rich man enjoyed everything that Lazarus had lacked. Here we see a twist of justice, because their situations are reversed.

In verse 26 we really begin to see the reality of this eternal punishment. There is no way to cross over from one eternal destination to the other. There has been a great chasm or gulf that has been fixed in order so that no one may cross. In other words, after the death of the rich man it was too late for him to turn from his wicked ways and avoid the eternal consequences of his sin. Although he had been given many second chances throughout his life, he did not repent from his sin and trust God. Jesus frequently warned people about the reality of eternal judgment. In fact, Jesus taught more about heaven and hell than any other subject. Someday we will all stand before God and give an account for how we lived our lives

But there is good news tonight. Even though the warning is clear for us, there is still time for you to turn to Christ and be forgiven of your sin. If you are breathing right now there is time to turn from sin and turn to Jesus. Once you die, it will be too late. While change is still possible, you must ask the Lord to open your eyes and believe in the good news of Jesus and what he has done for you. Jesus died and rose again so that you may have eternal life. Will you trust in Him tonight?

If you are a Christian my prayer is that you would see the urgency to tell your lost friends and family about God. The rich man asked for Lazarus to be sent to warn his five brothers so that they would not have to experience eternal torment in hell. We should not want our worst enemy to have to go to hell forever. So, may we see the importance of sharing our faith now.