Wrath and Rest

All around us there are warning signs, we are warned to stop at a 4-way intersection, we are warned on bottles of cleaners, we are warned at the gas station, we are warned on cigarette packages, we are warned by the MSDS sheets, we are warned on the medication bottles, we are warned on toys, we are warned on games, we are warned on shows and movies. Heck, if you want to be warned more, you can look into each element of everything that is ever made or done, and you will find a warning of some sort. We are warned so much that sometimes, instead of listening to the warnings, we tune it out only to find out why that warning exists. Sometimes, something deep inside us says, “don’t do that,” but then we proceed to do it anyway.

A few years ago now, I was trying to install a new humidifier onto my furnace because the old one was leaking like a sieve. However, the old humidifier's footprint on the side of the furnace's sheet metal was far too small, so I needed to cut about an inch off of the sheet metal the whole way around. I went and grabbed my aviation snips and started away at the outline I drew. The tin was just thin enough that I could cut through it, but man, was it going to take a while. So, after a few minutes of cutting and hating every minute of it, I decided I would go and get my angle grinder. I inspected inside the hole and realized the coolant coils for the AC unit were almost pretty much pressed up against the metal, so I put the angle grinder down and started with the tin snips again.

Now, when I say that that tin sheet was just thin enough to cut with those tin snips, I mean it, and these aren’t cheap tin snips I have. I used these when I was still doing carpentry. They are a good pair, but even with a good pair of tin snips, I had to use two hands to press those handles together and cut through that tin. After a few more minutes of this, I thought to myself, all I have to do is score the tin, and then I can just pop it out. I don't have to plunge the angle grinder right through. So I got to work, being as careful as possible, and just like that, WHALA! I got around my outline, and I had only nicked through a couple of spots. Without removing my ear protection, I began working the tin out, and it popped out fine. Now, I didn’t notice at first that something was wrong because of how dark it was in that corner of the basement, but when I took my hearing protection off, the gas alarm I have between the furnace and the hot water tank was going off, and I could hear a hissing coming from the furnace where I had just completed my cuts; with a closer a look I realized I had just nicked the coolant coil.

Upon a second more of thinking, I could feel my brain getting a little heavier, so I immediately abandoned my work and went upstairs to phone for help. I ended up getting a hold of Kristi Belzner through her mom, Judy. Kristi helped walk me through a safe way to ventilate the house, and then she came over and repaired the coils and recharged the AC system. All the while, I stood there feeling foolish. Everything inside me said don’t use that angle grinder. Everything inside me was screaming that it was a pressurized system, but instead of just slowly working away at this piece of metal, I impatiently rushed to the end result, and it cost me.

Often, I tell people that I am lazy. I am not lazy to the point I don’t do my work that is required of me. If something needs to be fixed, I’ll fix it; if work needs to be done, I will do it, but if I can find a short cut, I will take it. When I was still doing physical labour, I would put together contraptions to help make my life easier and the job quicker. I would build jigs to help me cut the same angle over and over again if that exact angle was recurring. I would purposefully have templates for recurring things. I would write down procedures on a diagram to help accelerate the process. To me, the quicker a job is done, the better, then I can go fishing or do something I like. So, instead of being delicate, I use the angle grinder. Often when I hear of people reading the Bible, they try to associate themselves with the heroes of the Bible, especially when they are doing great things, not when they are struggling. I identify with the Israelites in the wilderness most often. Did you know that their journey should have only taken eleven days to get to the promised land? However, because of their impatience, sinfulness, and inability to listen to the warnings, they wandered the wilderness for 40 years until everyone who entered the wilderness out of Egypt died. It makes me wonder what warnings we are not heeding. What results are we rushing?

With that let’s read from the passage we will be studying today Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19–31 NASB95

“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

This is probably one of the most troubling passages in the Bible because Jesus is putting a blatantly clear, blunt warning out to those around him. Here is a rich man, whom some over the years call Dives just to give him a proper name, and Dives dresses all the time like royalty; he presents himself in a way to others around him as blessed. Dives, we can confidently say, is a Jew because although he doesn’t know it yet, he is about to see Abraham, or as he rightly calls him, father Abraham and father Abraham calls him “child” in the King James Bible Dives is called “son.” So Dives has heard the law, been brought up in the teachings, is likely esteemed in his community, and is probably just as versed as the next guy in the Tanakh (Law, Prophets, and Writings). Dives, being of an esteemed community, probably attends all the festivals and holy days. He attends the synagogue, probably attends most Sanhedrin hearings, enjoys the games played at the city gates, and is respected by all around him. Dives gets it his way or the highway. Dives is normally always right, and never wrong. He fancies himself humble, matching Moses, but really, if he were to be honest with himself, he is only humble when it suits him. Maybe, for instance, when he needs others to see he is fasting, you will see a good show of what humility apparently looks like, but man does he love his self-appointed royal splendour. Then there is Lazarus. Lazarus is all but unseen. He has some friends, or something like that, who cared enough to move Lazarus to the gate at Dives' house. Dives would have had to pass Lazarus as he came and went for his different socialite activities. Dives could not claim to be arrogant about the fact that Lazarus was present; Dives even knew Lazarus’ name! It makes one wonder whether or not Lazarus might have been a friend before he fell ill, or family, or even a servant.

Instead of listening to the laws that might be applicable, such as Leviticus 25:25-28 or even the various writings and prophets, to help Lazarus, Dives ignores Lazarus. As a result, Lazarus' only saving grace is the crumbs from the garbage. Let's face it, the food which falls from the table onto the ground is just that, garbage. The dogs, which Jews would have considered pests or overgrown rats, were the only things that showed Lazarus mercy. They didn’t bite him or snap at him; they licked Lazarus’s wounds like they would their own wounds or even like they would their own pack member's wounds. It could be said that the greatest act of mercy that Lazarus was finally shown in life, was his death, and in his death, angels came and carried him away. Abraham’s bosom, by the way, is definitely a cultural phrase; it is the place of rest, peace, comfort, and joy. Simply put, Abraham’s bosom is heaven in this story, and Lazarus was finally at rest.

In contrast, Dives, who definitely built his treasures upon earth, died, and was buried, and when he awoke, he was in hell. Revelation 20:10 describes hell as a lake of fire and burning sulfur. To give you some context, burning sulfur creates sulfur dioxide, a gas that is severely irritating to the eyes, mucous membranes, skin, and respiratory tract. Inhaling sulfur dioxide can cause coughing, shortness of breath, sore throat, and laboured breathing. Every breath that Dives is breathing in hell is torture, to simply look around would be incredibly strenuous on the eyes. Dives is described as being in agony in Luke 16:25. Amazingly, as Dives is in a panic from waking up in hell, he sees Abraham and Lazarus in the distance. Immediately, he calls out, saying, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me.” He doesn’t cry out to God, who is Lord over all; he cries out to Abraham. Maybe this makes sense because in life, we have the mercies of God, and through that mercy, we have the ability to repent and be saved… but what about in death?

So many people believe that a good God would not allow hell. The truth is our God, who is a good God, doesn’t want hell, but out of a desire for us to truly love Him, He has left the choice up to us to repent. Repent from what? Your sin. You think you're good to go? Well, Jesus warns that you will be held accountable for every idle word (Matthew 12:36). If you are less than honouring with your words, if you are not edifying with your words, even the filler words (such as … and, but, the) you will be held accountable for every idle word. Every single individual word by itself will be held against you if it was used in the service of sin. In life, we have an opportunity to confess our sins, seek forgiveness and to follow in the path of Jesus. Wholly allowing Jesus to be the Lord and Saviour of our life. Only then will we be welcomed into eternal rest. But if we choose to live apart from God, if we choose to live contrary to His good and perfect word, if we choose to be wiser than the word of God, questioning his authenticity and authority in death, God’s mercy does not follow us into hell, as we see it playing out with Dives.

Dives, waking up in agony, realizing he is in hell, shouts across to Abraham, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.” Dives, still entitled from his life of royalty, expects lowly Lazarus to serve him. He doesn’t ask Lazarus for help. He asks Abraham to send Lazarus. The truth is that even if Abraham wanted to help, even if he could command Lazarus to help, he couldn't— mercy is not given in Hell. Abraham, after reminding Dives of his life on earth in contrast to Lazarus' life on earth, continues by pointing out to Dives this in Luke16:26

Luke 16:26 NASB95

‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’

Dives realizing that the only royal thing he is, is royally cursed, wouldn’t wish this on his worst enemies, and so he remembers his brothers. He begs that Abraham sends Lazarus to warn his brothers that all of this is true. Imagine you are playing games in the living room, and all of a sudden, someone you know who died shows up and says, “hell isn’t just some made-up place. The scriptures should be heeded. Listen to the teachings, and apply them to your life before you get there!” One would hope that you would listen to the warnings, so it makes sense that Dives is asking for this. The problem, as Abraham points out in verses 29 and 31, is that there have been people warning against this all along. Those of us still left here have Moses and the Prophets, and if we do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, we will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.

That is where Dives story ends, in eternal damnation. What's funny is we have had someone rise from the dead, and for some of us, we find it hard to read the Bible and apply it to our everyday lives. We find it hard to read Moses and the Prophets. We find it hard to read some of Jesus’ words. We find it hard to read Roman's. We like the good news, but forget about the bad news. I understand this; I have family who would have said they knew about God but lived incredibly sinful lives. I hope that they are in eternal rest and not eternal wrath. We put a lot of responsibility on everyone else to own our sins, to forgive our sins, but it is a hard thing to realize we are the issue. We are called to repent and keep a short account of our sins. If you don’t know what your sins are, read your Bible; it’ll tell you, it will make you uncomfortable, and if you find yourself explaining away parts of the Bible, maybe therein you will find your sin.

I am not pretending to be perfect. I sin and I struggle regularly with sin. It's only by the grace of Jesus Christ that I am saved. But I need to regularly repent from my sins, even my idle words, and in doing so I continuously painstakingly keep on carrying my cross walking in the direction of Jesus.

Romans 1:18-32 makes me uncomfortable, not for everything it says between verses 18-31, but for what it says in the very last verse. Let's read the whole thing, and then I will tell you why it makes me uncomfortable.

Romans 1:18–32 NASB95

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

I think Romans 1:18-32 is rather clear, but most of us miss that last part: “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” One thing I have learned in life is silence, is approval and as such, the Bible would say it is sinful. Dives was silent about Lazarus during that story, was he not? Is it not seen as one of Dives sins? Also, what I have learned is that unrepented sin leads to death. Continued sin without any effort of repentance leads to death. Death is where we encounter the wrath of God. The reality is that, like Dives and his brothers, many people present themselves here in this life as acceptable candidates for heaven, but because they reject God’s word and through that action Jesus Christ, they punch a one-way ticket to hell. The reality is there will be pastors, deacons, elders, seminarians, long-time churchgoers, authors, and other supposed Christians of note will end up in hell. Honestly, we will be surprised when we get to the other side by who is in heaven and who is in hell. It is only God who can make us Holy. Sin makes us less than Holy. We can only find eternal rest if we become Holy, and this is not possible by ourselves. So God sent His Son Jesus Christ to wash over all our sins with His blood on the cross so that we might be able to choose to lay down our lives and follow Him becoming Holy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And all creation will cry Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

Let's Pray

~final song Holy, Holy, Holy(?)~

{Benediction Hebrews 12:14-17}

As you prepare to go out from here this morning…make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

As you go out… see to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

As you find yourself alone in your own thoughts… see that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

So go, being alarmed with the warning you have heard today, and equally be blessed and encouraged by the promise you have been reminded of in Jesus Christ, and share the news, both good and bad, with all who will hear it.

Go in peace.