A Glimpse Beyond the Grave

Text

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.’ ”

: 19-

Today, we are gathered to say goodbye to a dear sister, mother, daughter, aunt, friend, Mary Bobcock.

Convey condolences on behalf of family and church.

Death comes knocking at each family’s door from time to time, whether from old-age, sickness or tragedy. Throughout life we are all faced with the prospect of death.

In fact, the Psalmist admonishes us to be aware of the brief and fragile our life is:

Our days are like a shadow

Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

In a sense, life is basically preparing for death.

Many live in fear of death because they do not know what lies on the other side of life.

The Lord Jesus gives an an insight into the after-death experience.

Our text explores the lives of lives of two different men and their experience - the Rich Man and Lazarus.

We notice there were three differences:

Difference in life

Luke 16:19–21 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.

: 19-

The Rich Man

Rich

Clothe in purple and fine linen. Afford to wear fashionable clothing. Wear brand-name suits

Feasted sumptuously every day

received good things in life

Well- off, well-to-do; a Big one, Big-thing,

Rub shoulders with the rich businessman, politicians, had good contacts, among the elite in society.

He’d receive free tickets to baseball/basketball games

Lazarus

Poor

no home, lived in the streets

No one paid attention to him, no one cared for him. But God noticed him.

Not only poor, shabbily clothed

Sick, not an internal lung or heart condition but one that was visible to all

Covered with sores

definitely no one wanted to be around him

Hungry

Rich Man paid no attention to him, probably ordered his guards to keep him away.

Difference in death

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,

:

Both died

Imagine the funerals of these men

Rich man - large cathedral, expensive casket, TV cameras, news reporters, top brass visiting, an elaborate service.

Poor man - maybe all he had was the undertaker. Everyone was probably glad we don’t have to see this menace, this social outcast.

But in the realm of the unseen, things were reversed

Poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side - paradise.

Rich man died and was buried.

Many things in life are not what they appear to be. “All that glitters is not gold.”

There is a lot of lies, deception in this world.

Difference in eternity

Luke 16:23–26 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.’ 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.’

Lazarus

-26

Lazarus

Lazarus

comforted at Lazarus.

After a long life of pain, discomfort, scorn, hunger, suffering, he is now in a better place.

Rich Man

Hades - hell, the place where the wicked dead are held until judgment

torment and anguish. What a reversal of state!

conscious

memory intact

A great chasm

Now the Rich Man who never cared about spiritual matters in his life, never wanted to hear about God or church or sin etc becomes not only a believer but an evangelist, a preacher, someone filled with concern about the destiny of others.

Luke 16:27–31 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.’ 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.’ ”

: 27-

He quickly thought of his family. He wanted to spare them the agony.

Abraham tells him - Let them listen to the Scriptures, the Bible.

If they won’t listen to the Scriptures they won’t even if someone returns from the dead.

Conc.

What was the deciding factor in their destiny? Obviously not their social status, financial state or physical health.

The gospel.