Created For Significance pt 6
Created For Significance • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsThe story of Lazarus and the rich man is told at the end of a very long day for Jesus... He's been listening to the arrogance and judgment, the snide remarks of the Pharisees, and trying to teach them the truth about themselves, and yet ... they don't seem to understand. So, He tells them a story about the afterlife... A rich man goes to hades... and filthy beggar reclines in paradise with Abraham. What we do with this life matters!!! Our wealth, our blessings, our skills and talents... are meant to be used for the benefit and blessing of ALL those around us!
Notes
Transcript
A preacher was completing a temperance sermon: with great expression he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river."
With even greater emphasis, he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river."
And then, finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." He sat down.
The song leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a pleasant smile, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365: 'Shall We Gather At the River.'"
(That has absolutely nothing to do with the sermon today!)
(Let’s jump right in!)
Turn with me to Luke 16.
— as you’re getting there, let me share this with you… This section of scripture, from Luke 14:25 to the end of chapter 16, is significant. It holds the same amount of space as”The Sermon on the Mount”…
— The Sermon on the Mount came at the beginning of His ministry, this teaching comes at the end… Do you think Jesus might have had something very specific in mind as He dealt with the people He’s been dealing with?
When Jesus addressed these Pharisees — beginning at the banquet — He was looking full-force at His end!
Do you think this might have been important to Him?!?!
Jesus has finished talking with his disciples and is once again dealing with these Pharisees… They loved money… They loved worldly wealth and fame… And when Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)… They sneered at Him!
Luke 16:15 (NRSV)
15 So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.
And He goes on to tell them a story in two brief scenes… Still trying to teach them what is important! He’s still focused on what’s important to Him!
Look at Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.
26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’
27 He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house—
28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’
29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’
30 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 listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Unlike the rich man in the last two stories, this rich man was NOT the hero!
He’s a calloused.. greedy… hard-hearted old man who thinks of very few people besides himself… He claims to believe in God… even goes to church… BUT… he doesn’t jump at the opportunity to serve those less fortunate then him…
Look at verse 20-21:
Luke 16:20–21 (NRSV)
20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
Even the dogs tried to comfort Lazarus, but this man did nothing!!!!
Here’s the saddest part! This wasn’t a stranger!!!
This was a guy who was dropped off at his gate EVERY DAY! And his name was Lazarus!
Do you realize how important that is?!?
— This is the only parable that Jesus tells where someone is named!!! Think about it… We don’t know the name of the woman at the well… We don’t know the name of the prodigal father (or his sons)… We don’t know the name of the woman who lost her coin… But we know this man’s name! Jesus calls him Lazarus!
— The fact that Jesus calls him by name is critical! It says to everyone there that Lazarus is important! He’s NOT a nobody! He’s significant… He’s NOT an invaluable object to be ignored… He’s NOT sub-human… HE IS A PERSON WITH WORTH!!!
(That’s how God sees each and every one of us!)
Lazarus is completely dependent on God, and he knows it!
He’s in bad condition… there are sores all over his legs… he has some sort of disease…
We don’t know what it is, but we know it keeps him from working… from caring for himself… like everyone else…
Day after day, Lazarus is left at this rich guy’s gate… Day after day, he’s ignored and allowed to suffer without so much as a prayer or a bread crumb…
21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
When you and I hear those words, we think of a dining table… or maybe a breakfast nook… You know the type… old fashioned mahogany, maybe a throw rug under it… surrounded by modern furniture and decorations…
But that’s not what Jesus is talking about here!
Jesus is telling this story to 1st century Palestinian people… The image in their minds is far different…
Look at verse 21 again…
Jesus is right back at a banquet!!!
When He spoke those words, He knew exactly what image would come to mind…
Everyone would picture a banquet hall! Complete with guests, servants, and onlookers huddled around the doorway… waiting and watching for the evenings after-dinner entertainment!
H.B. Tristam writes: “… entertainment is a public affair. The gateway of the court, and the door… stand open… A long, low table, or more often merely the great wooden dishes, are placed along the center of the room, and low couches on either side, on which the guests, placed in order of their rank, recline, leaning on their left elbow, with their feet turned away from the table.
Servants stand behind the couches… Behind the servants the loungers of the village crowd in, nor are they thought obtrusive in so doing.”
Get the picture?
This is how feasts went for centuries… The eaters (those invited to the meal) reclined in comfort at raised tables, waited on by servants, and watched by peasants who were allowed to enjoy the entertainment, but not the refreshments…
Lazarus… is one of those peasants…
Jesus calls him “a beggar.”
The fact that Jesus gives this lowly… despised… and ignored beggar a name is significant!!!!
It means that this “rich man”… and probably all of the guests… KNOW Lazarus personally!!!!
He is NOT a stranger!
This “rich man” was ignoring… neglecting… someone he knew!!!
How often have we seen this happen?
Someone gains wealth, and they forget where they came from… They forget those they knew… They forget what it was like to be without… They forget the struggle… The pain… The frustration… and… They Don’t Help!!!
This scene ends with Lazarus dying and being carried into “heaven”,… and the rich man dying and going to hell…
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
This is where the development of the story takes place… This is where it becomes clear WHY Jesus told this story.
But first, let me clarify something…
23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
Some versions say “in hell”… which causes some people to think of eternal punishment…
The Greek word here is “Hades”… It is the word chosen to use in place of the Hebrew word “Sheol”… It means “the abode of departed spirits”
In other words, Hades… Sheol… is the place where people go when they die… It’s a “holding place” between death and eternity if you will…
I know… “But Pastor, What about what Jesus said to the thief on the Cross?” — Bear with me here…
Jesus says here that there are two completely different sides to it!
The angels deposit Lazarus at Abraham’s side in paradise… This is such a cool picture…
Jesus is describing another banquet… only this banquet is a banquet that not only has Lazarus been invited to… He’s the honored guest!
He’s not in the background… He’s not waiting on tables… He’s seated at the head table, right beside Abraham!!!
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
When Jesus said this… Everyone there pictured Abraham reclining at the the table…
Who was Abraham?
— The founder of Judaism.
Where would they see him reclining?
— At the head table of course! You don’t get more important that the patriarch of Israel!
And Lazarus is right beside him!
What does that say?
— He’s about as special as they get!!!!
Are you getting what Jesus is doing here? What He’s saying to them?
Jesus is telling a story about a guy who, in this life, rarely, if ever, got treated well. He didn’t get breaks, he didn’t get opportunities, he didn’t get honors or recognition…
Throughout his life, all he got was gutters, sores, and front gates to lean on… But in death?
He got a seat with Abraham!
Can you get excited?!?!?!?!
That’s the picture of Lazarus’s afterlife… He’s at a feast right beside Father Abraham!!!! He’s in paradise!
(it kind of reminds me of Jesus’s words to the thief on the cross)
Now… Where does the rich man end up?
23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
Hades… but not the good side of it… He landed on the other side of the tracks!
His calloused heart… His self-sufficiency… His unresponsiveness to God get him delivered to the place of his own making… of his own choosing…
All his life he had lived as if he didn’t need God… All his life, he had kept God at arms-length… All his life, he had avoided giving any thought to the things God feels are important…
In effect, he had said, “I don’t want you in my life. Don’t ask me to do what I don’t want to do. Don’t ask me to be around people I don’t want to be around. I want to be my own lord, my own god.”
SO… God grants his wish…
Hell exists so that people who choose to exclude God from their lives can have what they wished for…
Think about that for a minute…
One pastor said: “Even though God isn’t everywhere-obvious in this life, He is everywhere-present and everywhere-discernible. Anyone who looks at the stars or considers what it must have taken to design and engineer a flower has to admit that the creator of this universe is unique, wonderful, and full of beauty and ability, or he wouldn’t have been able to pull off things like that.”
(some atheists will argue against that, but…mainstream science agrees…)
In heaven, God is everywhere-present and everywhere-discernible, and in Hell, He is deliberately absent and far off.
Now, think about this for just a minute… If God created everything that we see… everything that we can touch, see, feel, and taste… that means that this place is a place without anything!
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
If God created everything, then…
Without God, nothing exists… So… Out side of God’s presence… there is nothing!
How horrible would that be?! It is an existence of complete, total, nothingness…
Jesus describes his torment as the same as being on fire… burning…
The rich man in this story never really considered the consequences of his choice.
He’s surprised when he finds himself in this terrible place… He is in torment and agony… within seconds of entering this place…
Within minutes, he is in dialog with Abraham attempting to fix what’s wrong…
He sees Abraham, and shouts…
24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
Question: Why doesn’t he talk directly to Lazarus?
Why doesn’t he just say, “Lazarus, old buddy, can you help me out?”
Because he still sees himself as superior to Lazarus… He still thinks of Lazarus as someone to run errands, rather than a person with feelings, hopes, and dreams…
Church… Your status… Your wealth… Your station in life… WILL NOT get you into heaven!!!
This man thought: “I’m a good guy. I’m from an affluent family. I have lots of friends. I don’t cheat on my wife, shortchange the waiter, or cheat on my income taxes. Basically, I’m a good guy… God’s going to let me into heaven.”
“And… even if my ‘nice-guyness’ don’t get me in, I’m a descendent of Abraham, so I’m good to go, based on my lineage...”
So, he calls out to Abraham, “FATHER, Abraham.”
In other words, “It’s me, your descendent. Have mercy on me. I shouldn’t be down here. There’s been a mistake. Maybe you can fix this.”
How does Abraham reply?
“I can’t. I can’t. I wish I could, but I can’t.”
Listen… Your social status… Your wealth… Your church attendance… won’t get you into heaven.
12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(There are many people, who call themselves “Christians”…)
Look at what Abraham tells him:
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
This causes the rich man to start thinking…
Do you remember in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” when the Grinch finally looked at the little girl and thought about the value of a person for the first time… What happened?
His heart grew 6 sizes larger!
This kind of happens to this man:
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,
28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
Question: How long has this man been in hell when he says this?
Probably only five or six minutes, right?
And, what is he asking for?
The salvation of the people he loves.
How awesome is that?!?!
Five minutes into hell, has turned him from a self-contained, self-sufficient, rich guy to an ardent evangelist!
So… Let’s break this down… What does this all mean for us?
Our location in eternity is not based on social standing or lineage. It’s all about Grace!
Unlike the shrewd manager… who bet everything on the reputation of the master, this rich guy bet everything on himself… AND HE LOST!!!
What he didn’t know is what Paul later explained: God, through Christ, Titus 3:5-7 “… saved us, not because of righteous things we had done [our social standing], but because of his mercy… so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
His grace… His cheerful willingness to grant forgiveness to anyone honest enough to admit that they are not God… that they need God… That at their core, they are morally flawed and need a savior…
That was probably easier for Lazarus to do than for the rich man… because all of his life, Lazarus had had to depend on others… He knew what humility was… He wasn’t too proud to beg for forgiveness… and God gave him far more…
God gave him grace!
Look at what Abraham tells the rich man when he asks for help:
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“We can’t cross over. You can’t cross over. There’s a gapping chasm fixed between us and no one can get across.”
Some times, I think that we believe that we have slipped to far… That we’ve done to much… That that chasm exists in our lives right now…
Let me remind you: You are never too far gone for God to reach you!
(Cards ill.)
You were created for significance!
(and you find that significance when you submit yourself to God’s will…)
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
2. The consequences of our choice is permanent! Once we’ve crossed-over… Once we’ve landed in Sheol… It’s done, finished, final, no refunds, no exchanges!
One we pass away, it’s too late!
Only the living can ask for grace!
This is why Isaiah said: Isa 55:6
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
The day will come when time runs out… When judgment comes… When we will be held accountable to our choice…
Are you catching the urgency in Jesus’s story?!?
I want you to see something here… the rich man asks Abraham to tell his family…
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Do you see what he is eluding to?
Jesus knew that some will reject Him… That some will refuse to accept His grace and mercy…
I picture Him finishing this story… tired… distraught… maybe even weeping… heart heavy over the reality of what He knows…
It’s been a long long couple of days… He’s poured His heart out, desperate for them to understand…
He started at the home of a Pharisee… He healed a man with dropsy… He told them the story of a great banquet, the party in heaven… He told them the story of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost sons… He told His disciples the story of the shrewd manager who bet everything on the reputation of the master…
And He finishes with this story of the life to come… Hell is real…(No matter how we define it) it’s terrible… but Grace is available to ALL....
He’s telling them, “Don’t be hard-hearted. Don’t be greedy. Don’t trust in your own merits or in your heritage… Trust in Me! Trust in My Grace!!!
He’s saying: “This is important! In a few days I’m going to give my life for you… I’m going to die for you, then I’m going to rise again… Why? Because I want as many of you as possible to be with me in paradise! But… I know some will not believe… They are going to need someone like you to teach them what God says and how to get there!”
Will we be that Church?
Will we be a church that takes Jesus’s teaching seriously enough to say”…
“We will serve.”
“We will pray.”
“We will invite.”
“We will try to do things in a way that makes people feel welcome… that enables them to understand what God is saying to them about Himself… and them… Because we want as many people as possible to be with us in paradise!”
Church… That is our purpose!
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
That doesn’t say “Pastor Go…” Jesus is talking to ALL of His disciples…
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
They won’t hear without us!
We are called to help people come to know and grow in Christ.
It’s called Lifechange! We are called to bring Lifechange… transformation to people’s lives!
Lifechange — people coming into a relationship with Christ and growing to be more like Christ.
Jesus says they will know us by our fruit! (Mt 7:15-20)
Fruit = People
It takes people for lifechange to happen...
People = Lifechange
There are ____ of us here today… If we all lined up on that side of the room, with our mouths closed and our arms at our sides… and we invited a half dozen people to stand on that side of the room…
How likely is it that they are going to have their lives changed?
Not very likely. Why?
Because there is a missing ingredient…
What is it?
Action
Here’s how it goes:
People in Action = Lifechange
What kinds of action produce changed lives?
Serving… Praying… Giving…
When people pray, God hears…
When people give, we can pay the bills… ministry can take place…
Let’s look at our formula:
People + Serving + Praying + Giving = Lifechange
BUT… There’s one more piece…
Only a certain type of people influence Lifechange… Growing People.
Growing People — people who themselves are experiencing lifechange.
So… Here’s our formula…
Growing People + Serving + Praying + Giving = Lifechange
Church that’s what I’m asking you to be!
Growing people who serve, who pray, and who give beyond themselves in order to see Lifechange… in order to see transformation happen in our lives AND in our community…
Will you join me? Will you apply THAT formula to your life starting right here, right now today?!