Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

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Anger
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Analytical
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Anger
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Introduction:
Jesus is the master teacher.
In this passage he is teaching us about life, death and eternity.
He is teaching us the truth about heaven and hell.
You are here this morning, that establishes the fact that you had an origin, a beginning, a physical birth.
This life is a gift from God.
But the reality is that you also have a destiny, a future that is eternal.
We are all immortal beings.
We will live forever.
There are only two eternal destinies for every person, heaven or hell.
Today you will hear this truth denied often.
Atheists will deny the existence of heaven or hell.
Some teach that the grave is hell.
Some teach that hell is not eternal but only temporary.
Others hold on to a universalism that teaches that in the end everyone will be saved and ushered into heaven.
The truth of the word of God and Jesus himself teaches us that heaven is a real place and hell is a real place.
In fact, Jesus spoke more about hell than he did heaven.
This passage is a warning for people who reject Jesus.
It is a warning to those who are deceived…as the rich man was..he was quite shocked I believe to find himself in hell..
This passage is a study in contrasts..this is clear.
It teaches us about life, death and eternity.
It is also a study in compassion.
Those who lack compassion in their heart do not know God and are in danger of judgment.
I want us to focus on the contrasts that we see..I want you to see first:
I.
The Contrasts in Life
First we see that this rich man enjoyed:
Life in The Lap of Luxury
The rich man is described here as having everything that this life could offer.
He was dressed in the finest clothing and feasting every day on the finest foods.
From the context of the chapter, it is clear that Jesus is directing this teaching at the Pharisees.
Those religious rulers who instead of sharing with the poor considered themselves righteous and blessed by God because of their status and wealth.
They would be sorely mistaken.
Their lack of mercy and compassion revealed their hearts true condition.
The Old Testament prophets loudly proclaimed the judgment against people who lacked mercy and compassion.
Amos:
, “ 6 What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high?
Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the child of my body for my own sin? 8 Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
when I come to bow before God on high?
Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams
or with ten thousand streams of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the child of my body for my own sin?
8 Mankind, He has told you what is good
This rich man ignored God’s law and disregarded the poor man sitting right there under his nose.
The beggar he passed by everyday at his gate was just simply an eye-sore on the landscape of his life.
Do we view others this way?
Check your heart friend.
and what it is the Lord requires of you:
to act justly,
to love faithfulness,
This man, a son of Abraham, was heartless.
He was not an atheist, he believed in God…his theology was most likely orthodox..he knew the Torah and the law..but failed to take it seriously.
There are millions just like this man today.
Almost 90 percent of people in this country believe in God.
Over 80 percent say they believe in Jesus.
Most people believe they are going to heaven when they die..but hell is filled with people today who thought they were headed to heaven.
and to walk humbly with your God.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version.
(Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), .
We also see the beggar:
Life in The Lap of Misery
At the other end of the social spectrum we find the beggar…sitting in the lap of misery.
He had literally been cast out at the rich man’s gate.
Left there to die.
The sick and the lame were left to die…cast off by society and treated harshly with no compassion by society at large.
This man is so ill that he had to be carried to the rich man’s gate and left there.
This man is covered with sores and starving within sight of a wealthy and prosperous man who did not even share the crumbs from his table with this beggar.
His sores were most likely the result of a lack of nutrition and these sores oozed..dogs came and licked his sores…how humiliating and painful.
This is a man in this life who is utterly abandoned and helpless.
II.
The Contrasts in Death
As we stated in the beginning..there are two destinies..Jesus’ teaching here leaves no question about the two destinies after death.
One of eternal joy and peace and the other of eternal torment and despair.
The Reality of Death
Death comes to all.
Rich and poor die.
Young and old die.
Lost and saved die.
Physical death comes to all.
But the dead are not dead, they are very much alive..either with God in heaven or separated from him and tormented in hell.
The Death of the Poor Man
The poor and sick man dies and his body is most likely taken to the garbage dump..no proper burial or funeral.
The rich man is probably satisfied to be rid of the nuisance.
Jesus states that the poor man is carried to Abraham’s bosom or side.
Literally he has been ushered into God’s presence.
Ignored in this life by all men…he is not ignored by the God of heaven and his angels.
Phillips states, “So poor Lazarus, poor no more, was in paradise in the company of Abraham and in the presence of God and the Old Testament saints.”
The Death of the Rich Man
In stark contrast, the rich man dies and is buried.
This indicates he more than likely had a lavish funeral and an impressive marker at his grave.
He dies, but he is still alive.
He is in torment in Hell - separated from God.
The greek word often translated hell is Hades..the dwelling place of the dead prior to the great white throne judgment..it is hell, a place of torment.
At death, Christians enter immediately into the presence of Christ in heaven and exist there as disembodied believers.
At death, non-Christians are plunged immediately into the torment of hell and exist there as disembodied unbelievers.
Both believers and unbelievers await the resurrection of their bodies.
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