Luke 16:24-26
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-Let me encourage you...
...to turn back to Luke 16...
...and to follow along in your Bibles.
We’ve been looking at this story...
(that seems to me to be a parable)
(or at least parabolic in nature)
...we’ve been looking at it...
...for the last couple of weeks, now.
So far in it, the focus has been, PRIMARILY...
...to warn us of the dangers of:
The Love of Money
Materialism
Hedonism
Living for our best life now...
And to encourage us, rather, to...
Live for the life to come
Depend on Christ (rather than riches).
And those themes will certainly...
...still be undergirding what we cover this morning...
But, the text is going to shift our focus...
...somewhat away from those main points...
...and cause our foremost consideration to be:
The gravity of eternity!
-Hopefully, we can sufficiently...
...cover that this morning.
Next week, Lord willing...
...we’ll finish it up with...
...a consideration of the sufficiency of Scripture.
I originally wanted to do both this morning...
But, I realized that there was too much there...
So, I’ve decided to break it up again.
-Alright, Let’s begin, again, by...
Reading the whole story
Asking for the Lord’s blessing to be upon it.
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.’ ”
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Pray
-For the sake of time...
...I’m going to use commentaries...
...to summarize the gist of the last two sermons.
We read this one to begin with last week:
It was from Mike McKinley:
Luke 12–24 for You The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
These men could not have been more different. One was rich; the other was poor. One feasted while the other starved. One was clothed in purple; the other was covered in sores.
Luke 12–24 for You The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
The nameless “rich man” was unconcerned to keep the law of God because he had enough money to meet all of his needs; the other man had nothing
Luke 12–24 for You The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
But they did have one thing in common—the one thing that all human beings have in common: they died (v 22).
And that’s where we picked back up last week.
Philip Ryken summarizes the great reversals of Verses 22-23 like this:
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Two Destinations
When Lazarus died, the torment of his earthly troubles was over. Immediately he went to be with all the saints, the place Jesus described as resting on the bosom of Abraham.
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Two Destinations
How different it was for the rich man! He had always assumed that he would go to heaven...
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Two Destinations
But after death he found himself in utter torment
-Let’s read those two verses again...
...then we’ll focus on Verse 24:
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.
So again… an abrupt and complete reversal
-Now, look at Verse 24.
There we begin to see...
...the Rich Man’s response...
..to his new situation.
It’s quite telling.
24 And he called out...
some: “he cried out”
i.e., LOUDLY
Why?
23 ...he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off...
In the life to come...
...he was far removed from Abraham.
He isn’t partaking in the blessings of Abraham.
But, he persisted:
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me...
So, what’s he doing?
2 Things:
1.) He’s assuming that Abraham...
(as the father of the Jewish race)
...holds a place of special authority in the afterlife.
2.) He’s appealing to his...
ethnic kinship with...
physical descent from… Abraham...
...as the grounds for his plea for help.
In other words:
“help me out here”
I’m not like the rest of these folks
“I’m your grandson”
-We’ve already seen that notion...
...refuted many times over, haven’t we?
Back at the beginning of Luke’s gospel...
...John the Baptist had given this warning...
...to those who dared to presume upon...
...their physical descent from Abraham:
8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
You see, even then...
Repentance
Faith
...were being set forth as...
...the criteria for inclusion in the Kingdom of God.
Consider also, what Jesus said in...
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
You see, the Rich man in our story...
...only resembled Abraham in two ways:
They were both circumcised (presumably)
They were both rich.
But, Abraham’s relationship to his wealth...
...looked very different than the man in our story.
Think about this:
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
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These were Abraham’s deepest affections.
This man (and most of the Pharisees)...
...were NOT HIS SONS!
-And, we’re also reminded of that...
...in the petition he makes to Abraham.
We already read over it briefly...
But there’s a deep irony in it...
...that betrays the identity...
...of the man’s true father...
...that doesn’t need to be overlooked.
Let’s read it again:
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me...
So, why do I say that?
(Anyone in his situation...
...would beg for clemency, right?)
Well, think about it:
When Lazarus was begging at his gate...
A true son of Abraham...
At his gate, in true need...
Crippled, Sickly, and Starving...
Did the Rich man show him any mercy?
No!
Not even a little bit.
Does that sound like Abraham?
No!
He...
Rushed to feed his visitors
Gave Lot the first choice of property
Pleaded with God for provision for Ishmael
Etc.
He was rich...
But, he wasn’t at all selfish with it.
You see, there’s no SPIRITUAL resemblance...
...between the two men, whatsoever!
This man is not a son of Abraham…
This man will never share in…
…the blessings of Abraham!
Moreover, James tells us:
13 ...judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy...
This certainly seems to be the idea...
...in our passage to me.
-And, there’s a good lesson in it...
...that we need to apply to ourselves:
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me...
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
And the converse is true as well:
41 “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.
44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Again:
13 ...judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy...
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-Now notice, back in our text...
...that the Rich Man’s plea for clemency...
...doesn’t involve the idea...
...of escape or deliverance.
He seems to recognize already...
...that that isn’t an option.
He simply asks for a measure of relief.
And again, what he asks for...
...is pretty ironic:
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.’
Now, I think there’s more in that...
...than meets the eye.
First of all, prior to the great reversal of death...
...Lazarus’ body had been...
“covered in sores” (Verse 20)
He was probably avoided like a leper.
But now the Rich Man...
…who probably wouldn’t even go near him before…
...is asking for the PRIVILEGE...
...of wetting his parched tongue...
...with water that ran down...
...and dripped off of...
...the man’s formerly festered finger.
-Again, do you see the reversal?
How the mighty have fallen
How the lowly have been exalted
And again we’re reminded of...
...this most fundamental of Biblical principles:
6 . . .“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
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And the Rich Man had…
…that besetting sin too.
Notice the arrogance and hypocrisy…
…behind his request for mercy:
In his earthly life...
...he wouldn’t so much as...
...walk outside of his house...
...to lessen the suffering of Lazarus.
But now that he’s the one suffering...
He thinks that Lazarus ought to...
...come down into the flames...
To serve him
Make his life a little better
Guys, even now, he’s not truly repentant.
-Now, we have to be careful...
...with what I’m about to say...
But, there’s a very real sense in which...
...no amount of suffering...
(By itself)
...is going to change someone’s heart toward God.
Let me show you some grave examples of that:
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.
9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish
11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
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Similarly, our Rich Man...
Wants Relief
But doesn’t really want God
Not on God’s terms, at least
He doesn’t appear to have humbled his heart...
in repentance...
and dependent faith.
-Finally, let’s notice this:
It may be more important than we think.
24 ...I am in anguish in this flame.’
Philip Ryken brings up something...
...that’s really important here...
And, I think that, it too...
...helps to reaffirm to us...
...that this story was meant to be a parable:
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Two Destinations
At this point the rich man
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Two Destinations
Jesus is giving us a physical description of a spiritual torment.
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Two Destinations
However, he
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Two Destinations
In the words of Klaus Schilder, “
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 Two Destinations
By mere inversion one should
-Look at Verse 25:
And notice first of all...
...the way Abraham begins his response:
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember...
So, he acknowledges the paternal relationship.
And he speaks to him with tenderness.
But, at the end of the day...
...Abraham sides with the righteous judgment of God...
...over even the sufferings of his grandson.
(We will all eventually do the same, brethren)
(We will affirm the justice of God...
...as his wrath is ultimately poured out on the world)
Here’s the principle:
1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”
This seems to be the principle in view in our text.
-Watch what Abraham says:
25 . . . ‘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.
In other words:
Your condemnation is just
You’re just reaping what you’ve sown
I simply can’t intercede for you...
...and ask God to stay his hand of judgment...
You chose this… repeatedly and continually.
These are your wages.
This is the way of righteousness!
-Then he says, in Verse 26:
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, . . .
i.e., has been determined by God
26 ...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.’
Again, I don’t think this is meant to be a geographical statement...
It is a physical metaphor for a spiritual truth:
God has made this determination:
There is NO movement to/from these destinations
-So, I think Abraham is saying...
...that, it’s not only, that...
I won’t help you
It’s:
I couldn’t help you if I tried
God has rendered it impossible.
What does this mean...
...by way of interpretation and application:
Once you enter into the next life...
NOTHING will ever change your inevitable destiny.
There will be no...
Further chances to repent or believe
Purgatorial process to undergo...
...that will lessen the extent of your suffering...
...or eventually help you earn your way to heaven.
The state of your soul at death...
...will remain the state of your soul forever.
-Ryken makes a great observation here.
It will be a good thing for us to end on:
What urgency this should give to our preaching of the gospel!
Now is the time when people have the opportunity to be saved.
Therefore, we must give them the good news about Jesus Christ while they still have time to receive it. And how urgently we all need to believe the gospel!
Here it is:
Jesus Christ is the only bridge from wrath to righteousness.
It is only by faith in him that we will ever find forgiveness for our sins, or the joy of God, or the hope of eternal life.
Put your faith in Jesus now, while you still have time, or else very soon you will find yourself in a place where no one can come and rescue you at all. — Ryken
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And I would implore us all...
...to heed his words.
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