Luke 16:19-31 - Living Your Best Life Later

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Introduction:
If anyone has listened to me preach for a while, you have probably have heard a dig or two at Joel Osteen’s book, Your Best Life Now. I’m sure you probably have caught yet another dig in my sermon title today as well. I pray that the man finds true salvation one day and recants of his heretical teachings. But until then, he gives some amazing teaching points regarding how not to understand the Bible.
Today’s sermon is a great example of a man who is seeking to live his best life now. He is living it up. He is extremely wealthy. He dresses like a king. He is naming and claiming it as they say. I’m sure he was an extremely positive thinker. He probably felt that he was blessed by the Lord. He accepted the views of the religious leaders of his day who thought monetary wealth was a sign of righteousness and God’s blessing.
Yet, as we will see in a moment, he lived his best life while on earth. And what was awaiting him was the worst eternity that one could ever imagine.
Today, I want us to take a moment to see, with clarity, the choice that we have. We can live our lives the way we want to on earth and seek to live what the world would consider our best life now. Or we can choose to live a truly abundant life, living for our Lord and Savior and not for ourselves - and have an eternity with God in heaven - an eternal life too amazing for words to comprehend.
I pray that you choose to live your best life later.
Read Full Scripture:
Luke 16:19–31 ESV
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 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.’ 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. 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 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.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 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.’ ”
Prayer
Before we get into systematically going through the parable today, I want us to remember a couple of things.
#1 - The love of money and a lack of generosity is not only a problem for the rich. Many people love money that don’t have it. Sometimes we see a rich man in a parable and we automatically think - that can’t be me because I’m not rich. Remember the country that you reside in. People on government assistance may even live with the ability to eat and live in excess compared to many in the world. Everyone can love money - whether you have it or you don’t.
#2 - A quick view of this parable can give one a thought that we are saved by works. Maybe if the rich man would have been generous, then he would have been saved. As I am sure that most here all know - we are not saved by works. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Bible is clear that one is saved if one repents, believes, and trusts in Christ’s finished work on the cross - including His resurrection from dead - and submits to His Lordship. Those who are saved will be generous though. As 1 John 3:17 asserts, how can one who has been saved and loves God and been given so much not be generous?
With that in mind, today we will see three important understandings that we need to take away from Jesus’s teaching in this parable… The first is…

I. You Need to Understand the Saving Power of the Savior (19-22)

Luke 16:19 ESV
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
We are first introduced to a rich man. The verb tenses mean that this man was constantly clothed in purple and was eating almost nonstop. Being clothed in purple meant that he dressed like royalty. Purple dye was extremely costly as it required a rare and expensive sea mussel in order to make (Consider Lydia - the wealthy woman from Thyatira who sold purple goods who was saved and funded much of the early Philippian church - Acts 16:11-15). Only those of highest wealth could afford purple-dyed clothing.
His feasting was most certainly over the top as the word sumptuously means extremely costly and luxurious. This guy was eating the cream of the crop. He had a five-star meal multiple times per day.
We are not told that this man has any grave sins however. But we are told that he is living for himself. He is living in excess. In essence, he is living like a wealthy Roman. Although we will see later in the parable that this man is a Jew - His actions and lifestyle scream that he is an upper class Roman. He looks like a Roman, dresses like a Roman, eats like a Roman, and acts like a Roman.
This reminds me of so-called cultural Christians today. Some people claim Christ. but their lives look just like their pagan neighbors. They don’t read their Bible. They don’t pray. They don’t attend church. They are not generous. They live for themselves alone. They do not have a relationship with Christ.
I pray that you don’t identify with this man who is living just like the pagan world around him.
Take a moment and compare your life to your unsaved neighbors. Are you any different? Are your priorities different?
Do your weekend plans look the same as theirs?
Be sure that you are truly in Christ. We are not told that this rich man is a horrible guy doing really bad things. We are just told that he is living for himself alone.
So many can feel self-righteous because of the things that they do not do. Yet, what are you actually doing? Are you a true follower of Christ?
Next, in verse 20, we are introduced to another character in this parable…
Luke 16:20–21 ESV
And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
In stark contrast, we are then introduced to a poor man named Lazarus who is laying at the rich man's gate. Not only do we see that he is a lame man, but we are also told that he is covered with sores.
In fact, the word laid down here means cast down. It appears that he was dropped off there and left to beg. He was helpless.
His malnutrition and inability to move well left him with sores and probably even pressure ulcers. These were extremely painful and prone to infection.
This is quite a contrast. We have one man who is living the high life and another man who is miserable.
We are told that this poor man desires to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. The way that this is said means that he oftentimes is not being fed. He is often going without and starving. Although he must have gotten the occasional hand out, it becomes clear that he is not being taken care of in any sort of regular way.
To add insult to injury, even the dogs came and licked his sores. These are not the nice dogs that we think of today. These were wild dogs. Wild dogs were considered unclean, and so this man spent his entire life in an unclean state. He had sores, he was around wild dogs, and he obviously did not have the best of hygiene.
As we have seen earlier in the book of Luke, he also likely experienced the judgmentalism of those around him. The religious rulers taught that people with disabilities and those in poverty struggled because of their sin or the sin of their family. They felt that those who were rich were those who were truly righteous.
Jesus is certainly about to turn that false teaching up on its head in the following verses…
Luke 16:22–23 ESV
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
In verse 22 we see that both the rich man and the poor man die. This is the fate of all of us. Everyone will die. No matter how wealthy you are - No matter how much power that you have - No matter how intelligent you are - We all will face death one day.
Hebrews 9:27 says:
Hebrews 9:27 ESV
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
The question that we all need to ask ourselves is: “Am I ready to stand face to face with the Lord?”
I pray that you can answer that question confidently as a yes - not because of how great we are - but because of the righteousness of Christ credited to our account. If not, may today be the day that you repent and turn to Christ. All of us will live for eternity. Yet, there are two very different possible destinations. In verse 22, we are told about the saving power of the Savior.
Luke 16:22 ESV
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,
We are told that the angels carried the poor man to Abraham’s side. This was a figurative statement for heaven. Although the rich man’s body likely received a beautiful burial on earth, the poor man’s soul was taken to God by the angels. Better to have a welcoming from God in heaven than a beautiful farewell on earth and a welcoming into torment. We will discuss that a bit in a moment.
But it is really interesting that Lazarus - the poor man here - is the only person given a name in Jesus’s parables.
Note that this is a different Lazarus than Jesus’s friend who was raised from the dead.
The name Lazarus is the Greek form of Eleazar meaning “whom God has helped.” Such an ironic name. The man who seemed like he was hopeless and helpless while on earth is now in heaven. God has fulfilled the man’s name.
We must understand that Lazarus was not saved because of his disabilities and his poverty. He was saved because he trusted in God for salvation. Although he never speaks in this parable, his trust in the Lord is paramount in the illustration. He stands in direct contrast with the rich man’s self-sufficient and self-reliant nature. He relies on His Heavenly Father in faith while the rich man relies on his wealth.
Although you will have struggles on earth, place your faith and trust in the saving power of the Savior. He always comes through. And His blessings are far beyond anything you could ever imagine.
Yet for those who refuse to repent and come to Christ, there is another important understanding revealed here in this parable…
Scripture References: Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 John 3:17, Acts 16:11-15, Hebrews 9:27

II. You Need to Understand the Eternal Separation of Sinners (23-27)

Luke 16:23–24 ESV
and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 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.’
I think the first question some might have is…
What is Hades? As we get into this, I wanted to let you know that I have actually compiled a document at the front of the church if you want some clarity regarding the understanding of Hades and hell as well as the Abyss and Sheol. I created the document to help you understand the terms better. Feel free to read them if you’d like.
In short, Hades is the holding place for those who will end up in hell. It is a place of torment as we see here. However, there exists an even worse place called hell. After Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet are thrown into hell (Revelation 20:7-10) there will be the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). This judgment will be for those who have refused to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, and they will be eternally separated from God into a literal place of torment called hell.
This rich man is in torment in Hades. Things are actually going to get worse for him in the future.
With all that said, many people in America struggle with the concept of hell. In fact, a study by PEW Research in 2014 found the following data:
Although 72% of adults in America believed in a literal heaven, only 58% percent believed in a literal hell.
I found it interesting that a similar gap even existed in those who claimed to be Protestant with 86% believing in a literal heaven and 75% believing in a literal hell.
Jesus is clear that hell exists. While ministering on earth, He actually spoke on it more than anyone in the Bible. Theologian John MacArthur put together some of the references of Christ to hell as found in the Gospels that I have included in your handout.
Jesus Teachings on Hell in the Gospels (Note that this is not a complete list)
Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 7:19; 8:12; 10:28; 13:40, 42, 50; 18:8–9; 22:13; 23:15, 33; 24:51; 25:30, 41; Mark 9:43, 45, 47, 48; Luke 12:5; 13:28; John 15:6
Sadly, most who end up in hell will be surprised they are there. They had spent their entire lives justifying themselves before others. Yet, they refused to turn to the justifier of all who come to Him - namely Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can truly declare us righteous. We can be saved only through His righteousness being attributed to our accounts.
While Lazarus awoke to paradise, this rich man awakes in Hades - a place of torment and anguish.
Luke 16:23–24 ESV
and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 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.’
Getting back to our verses we are given an interchange that should not be viewed as something that will literally occur when it comes to Hades and heaven. Remember that this is a parable. Jesus is showing result of sin. He is teaching on the reality of the coming judgment on those who are unrepentant.
If you recall, the Pharisees, who were lovers of money had just ridiculed Him in Luke 16:14. His parable is meant to show them the coming result of their lives should they refuse to repent.
But to illustrate the torment and anguish of Hades, Jesus tells us that the rich man calls out to Father Abraham. Note that this shows his Jewish roots.
The rich man requests that Lazarus relieve some of his suffering by placing even a drop of water on his tongue. See the horrendous suffering in this place of judgment. He requests only a single drop of water. He is suffering so much that even a drop of water would give him hope in his state of hopelessness and pain.
But also see the rich man’s continued view of Lazarus as a servant. He continues focusing only on himself like he did on earth. He continues to see Lazarus as less than. Listen to Abraham’s response…
Luke 16:25–26 ESV
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. 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.’
Note the affectionate word that Abraham uses by calling him child. This is such a merciful term. It shows God’s love for mankind, and reminds us that He does not want to see anyone perish (2 Peter 3:9). Yet because of His perfect justice, sin requires a penalty.
Abraham also refers to the rich man as child most likely because the rich man was a Jew as previously stated – namely he was a child of Abraham. He reminds the rich man that during his life he received good things and Lazarus received bad things. But now he reminds him that Lazarus now receives his good things and the rich man is now an anguish.
Sadly, this rich man had chosen to live his best life while on earth. He sought to live only for himself.
And now there is no hope for him.
Note the eternality of his judgment. There is a chasm that is fixed.
There are no second chances. There is no purgatory. There is no middle of the road place. There is no hope to cross the chasm. It is a fixed chasm, and there is no crossing from one to the other for all eternity.
Jesus makes it clear time and time again that eternal punishment exists for those who are not followers of His. Listen to Matthew 25:46
Matthew 25:46 ESV
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
and just prior to this, speaking further about unbelievers He states:
Matthew 25:41 ESV
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Jesus cannot be more clear on the literality and eternality of hell.
Take head of this warning from Christ. He has graciously given you a future view of what eternity will be if you do not repent and follow Him. Be sure that you have repented of your sins and placed your faith and trust in Christ.
Finally, there is one more important point seen in Jesus’s teaching today…
Scripture References: Revelation 20:7-10, Revelation 20:11-15, Luke 16:14, 2 Peter 3:9

III. You Need to Understand the Sufficiency of the Scriptures (27-31)

Luke 16:27–28 ESV
And he said, ‘Then 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.’
Understanding that all hope is lost for him, he thinks about his brothers. He states that he has five brothers and asks that Abraham send Lazarus to warn his brothers. Again, the rich man sees Lazarus as a slave or servant.
The rich man thinks that maybe if Lazarus would go and warn them, then they would repent. He thinks that if a dead man would come back from the grave and warn them, then his brothers would have to respond in repentance, right?
It appears obvious that his brothers were living luxurious and self-indulged lives like he was while he lived his life on earth. They, like the rich man in Hades, were only thinking about themselves. They had no fear of God.
This rich man has seen the consequences of a godless, unmerciful, and unrepentant life and wants to warn his brothers.
This interchange seems to accuse God of injustice in a way. By asking for this miracle, it appears that he is, in essence, trying to explain away his own failures.
This shows that unbelievers always have difficulty in admitting their own sinfulness. The man’s pride still blinds him - even in torment. Those who refuse to come to Christ usually refuse to do so because they refuse to admit that they are a sinner. They blame others for their problems. They even go so far as this rich man and blame God. It must be God’s fault that he ended up in Hades. If only God would have done more to prove that He was God - then He would have repented.
Listen to this conversation continue…
Luke 16:29–31 ESV
But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 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.’ ”
Abraham gives a direct response. He tells him that they have Moses in the prophets, meaning that they have the Old Testament writings. In other words, they have everything that they need to know in order to find salvation. He says let them hear them.
This refers to the sufficiency of the Scriptures. The word sufficiency refers to the fact that the Scriptures are enough.
There is more than an adequate amount of information given in them in order for one to repent and be saved. Nothing further than the Scriptures is necessary for one to understand salvation. Obviously salvation involves the drawing of God and the work of the Holy Spirit as well - but when it comes to proof for salvation - the Scriptures are all the proof needed.
The world seeks a sign or miracle. Yet, once they receive such a sign, they explain it away! While Christ ministered on earth, He performed countless miracles. Still so many refused to believe and repent.
If you will not respond in faith when hearing the Word of God, you will not respond even if a miracle would occur. You would have some sort of explanation to explain it away.
Consider the miraculous resurrection of the literal friend of Jesus named Lazarus in John 11:38-44. If there was ever a time for belief to be found, this was it! A man who was dead for four days was resurrected! Yet in the following verses - John 11:45-57 - we see the religious leaders plotting to kill Jesus! What kind of response is that to a miracle? Obviously the opposite of belief! People are not convinced by miracles or signs. People come to salvation because of humility, repentance, and faith in Christ alone (John 14:6).
Luke 16:30–31 ESV
And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 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.’ ”
Yet the rich man pleads his case yet again in verse 30. He is bold enough to even start his sentence off with a ‘no’ to Abraham. He is still not convinced that the Scriptures are enough. His brothers need something else. Again, he implies that he needed something else as well!
Abraham is having none of this back and forth and drops the proverbial hammer at the end.
If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
This is such an important statement. And it's so important for us to realize that unbelief is not an intellectual problem. Unbelief is not an experiential problem. Unbelief is not a proof problem or evidential problem. Unbelief is a pride problem. In all completeness…
Unbelief is a sin problem.
We have the living and active Word of God available to most people on earth today. People can download it on their smartphones for free. There are organizations that hand out free Bibles such as the Gideons among others. People have access to the truth - the truth that will set them free (John 8:32). Yet the vast majority refuse to repent and turn to Jesus Christ.
The Lord has provided general revelation through His creation as well as special revelation through His Word. He has revealed the most amazing miracle ever by resurrecting Himself from the dead. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is historical and reliable.
The Bible is the most historically accurate book of antiquity. No reasonable historian can come close to combatting that statement. Yet, for many - although they believe it is accurate - they do not believe it to be true.
And that is the question we must all answer, friends. Are the Scriptures true?
Scripture References: John 11:38-44, John 11:45-57, John 14:6, John 8:32, Acts 4:12, Philippians 1:21
Conclusion:
I can say without a shadow of a doubt after much research and study that the Holy Bible is inerrant and infallible. It is without error and incapable of error. It is certain. The testimony of the Scriptures about Jesus Christ being truly God and truly man is accurate and true. The testimony that Jesus is the only name in which we may be saved is accurate and true (Acts 4:12). The testimony about Jesus living a sinless life, dying on the cross, being buried, and raising from the dead three days later is a historical fact, a miracle, and an event that has forever changed the world. Dead men can come to life. The broken can be restored. The lost can be found.
My charge to you church - don’t spent your energy trying to live your best life now - searching for pleasures and wealth that only leave you empty and hopeless in the end. Live an abundant and obedient life in Christ now, and live your amazingly best life later. Live with eternity in mind. I pray that like the Apostle Paul you can say:
Philippians 1:21 ESV
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
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