The Priorities of Life
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Good morning church, well next week we will finally be back together again and let me tell you I am so excited for that day! Thank you to everyone who has signed up in order to help us have the information we need to adequately plan for service. If you have not done so please let me or Jan know so we can put you down. Just let us know how many you are bringing and and which service the 8;30 or 10:30 service.
Turn with me in your Bibles to the gospel of Luke.
This morning I want to speak to you on this subject: The priorities of life
(Lets pray)
Heavenly Father there are many ways in which we fall short on a daily basis, but Lord I thank you for the grace you extend to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. IN our time this morning Father will you please speak to our hearts, change our minds and honor Your Son Jesus in whose name we pray amen.
Have you ever fell into the comparison trap?
Like have you ever looked at someone and maybe they have a better job than you or make more money than you, or looked better than you?
Have you ever thought about how someone that you might see on a routinely basis just flat seems to have it all together?
As human beings we have a bad habit of wanting to keep up with the joneses dont we?
We see someone with a certain car, or maybe they have alot of friends or a perfect family and we think to ourselves man, i wish I had the blessings that they have.
When I was young I remember watching Mark Maguire and Sammy Sosa compete for who could hit the most homeruns in a single season. It was awesome everyday I would go home and turn on the tv just to see what had happened the night before and what I had missed.
I would imitate them in the yard and I remember thinking that one day I would get my shot and if I did I would surpass them and like them enter into baseball glory.
You see we do this in our lives, we see someone else and we see the image they portray and we desire it and long for it. For me it was baseball for you it might simply be that you wish your kids were as well behaved as someone elses.
But we have all from time to time have fallen for the comparison trap.
NEvertheless I wanted so much to be like those famous baseball players. But things arent always what they seem are they?
What people portray isn’t always what is really going on.
You can imagine how shocked I was as a young man and how angry I was when I found out that the men I idolized were caught using performance enhancing drugs in order to give them and edge. What once was magical and special now was surrounded by the cloud of REALITY.
In our passage today were going to see two men, two situations, and two very different destinations.
If you are in Luke 16:19-31
What an interesting story, here we have Jesus telling a story about two men, two situations, and two very different destinations.
Before we begin I would like to say that there are many scholars who say that this is a parable or a story which Jesus told to teach a spiritual truth. In these parables Jesus would often use scenarios or objects in which the people of that time would definately understand what he was trying to say.
But I do not believe this is a parable, I do not believe this is just a story. The reason I say this is because Jesus doesnt follow His won pattern when giving this account. Normally when Jesus tells a parable He uses certain terms or phrases to begin:
“There once was a man who went into a field”
“There once was a master who left servants to care forhis vineyard”
“There once was a son who was wicked and rebelled against his father”
Over and over again time and time again Jesus would tell these parables but he never used names, he never uses names like Abraham, or Lazarus. These are specific people! This simply does not fit the mold of a parable told by Jesus.
By using these specific names of these people Jesus is really driving home to us the stark reality of someone that dies without Christ in his or her sins.
This is a very jarring passage of scirpture it is graphic in many ways.
But I hope as we work our way throug this that by the end of this you will see this is very encouraging for us as believers.
But before we can understand this passage we need some context.
All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!”
So in Luke 15 we have a large group of people who have gatherd around Christ. We have tax collectors we have scribes, we have pharisees and sinners. So this was a large group of people gathering around Jesus to listen to Him teach.
He also said to the disciples: “There was a rich man who received an accusation that his manager was squandering his possessions.
In 15 Jesus is speaking to this large crowd of people but in chapter 16 Jesus turns his attention from the large group of people and he begins to address only His disciples.
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at Him.
So even though Jesus had turned His attention awayfrom the large crowd and was addressing only His disciples notice the pharisees never left the scene they were still there hanging around in the backround.
Notice that the bible says a couple of times there that the Pharisees were lovers of money.
That is important to our text this morning.
The Two Men:
The Two Men:
THE RICH MAN
“There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day.
The picture here is that this rich man had everything money could buy. He always dressed in purple and fine linen and what you might not know was that purple was a very hard color to manufacture 2,000 years ago.
Purple was made from the oil of snails and it was very tough to make purple clothes so if you had a garment made out of purple linen you were someone who had plenty of money.
Notice the says he always wore purple and fine linen.
This guy didnt just have on garment made out of purple this dude was rolling in it he had a whole wardrobe full of purple garments.
This was the Bill Gates of the ancient world he had everything that the ancient world could afford fancy clothes fine linen, rich food, probably alot of sevants, probably a nice palace everything the world could possibly offer this guy had.
LAZARUS:
But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate.
He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores.
The picture here is the exact opposite the rich man had everything the world could offer and Lazarus had nothing.
Lazarus longed for just the scraps that fell from the rich mans table. If you were to look at this passage just on the outside you might say well this is a no brainer I could be rich and well fed, or I can be poor and be longing from some scraps from off someone elses plate, and the dogs are licking my sores from head to foot.
I want you to notice something else, the scripture says he was laid there. Lazarus didnt walk there I he didnt go there on his own He was picked up and carried and left at the gate.
Lazarus was crippled, lazarus could do nothing for himself he could not do anything for himself. He was picked up carried and laid at the rich mans gate, and wherever Lazarus was laid is where Lazarus stayed.
Covered with sores open infected diseased sores and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich mans table.
Lazarus was cripple he was covered with open sores and he was starving. Lazarus looked like a skeleton with skin draped over it.
This is a very graphic picture. As if that wasn’t bad enough almost to add insult to injury Luke saus even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
When we read dogs in the new testament we shouldnt imagine some 20th century house pet it wasnt poodles or great danes, these were wild dogs they werent coming licking his sores to comfort him, they were tormenting him.
This is a very graphic picture and you could not have 2 more polar opposites the rich man with everything the world could offer and Lazarus with absolutely nothing completely and totally helpless.
We dont know the rich mans name but we do know the poor mans name… Lazarus.
There is a reason that Jesus gives us his name, bc Lazarus means something. The name Lazarus means God helps. Thats what the name means.
God helps
There are many people who believe the old addage “god helps those who help themselves. But that is not in the Bible alot of people think it is.
Friend God does not help those who help themselves God helps those who understand that they cannot help themselves just as helpless as Lazarus was physically you and I are just that helpless spiritually as Lazarus could do nothing to provide for himself from a physical standpoint you and I can do nothing to provide for ourself from a spiritual standpoint.
There is nothing we could do to earn Gods favor there is nothing we can do to earn Gods grace, otherwise it wouldn’t be grace.
Many people think that as long as my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds then god will grade on a curve and yeah man I may have done somethings wrong but overall I am a good person, I can work my way into Heaven and god will accept me into Heaven.
Dear friends there is nothing that you and I can do for ourselves there is no way we can earn right standing with God. If we can work our way into Heaven then the cross of Jesus Christ is meaningless.
It has no meaning and no power an Jesus Christ died in vain.
Jesus came and died on the cross bc there is nothing we can do to help ourselves and there is no such thing as a good person. Most people think that they are I mean you ask 100 people at random and I guarantee you 99 if not 100 of them will tell yeah I am a good person.
WHy?
bc we like to compare ourselves to other people if I were to compare myself to Osama Bin Laden or Hitler Im a pretty good ole boy.
But God does not evaluate our goodness comparing us to other people He evaluates our goodness by comparing us to Himself and none of us measure up.
THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS NO NOT ONE, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD. ‘
We have all sinned and fallen short we have broken Gods laws thousands upon thousands of times throughout the course of our lives.
In what we have done and what we have thought all of us are bad people.
When we break laws on Earth there is a penalty to be paid, but how much more when we break the laws of Almighty God.
Because we have sinned against the God who is eternal the punishment for that sin is also eternal. There is no amount of good deeds that we can do to overcome the debt we owe to God.
Lazarus could do nothing for himself he was completely at the mercy of others, you and I can do nothing for ourselves spiritually we are completely at the mercy of our sovereign and merciful God.
God helps those who cannot help themselves
Two very different men
Two different situations
Two different situations
One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
Death is the great equalizer it doesn’t matter how much you have or how little you have it does not matter who you know or who knows you.
It does not matter on which side of the tracks you were raised death will come to us all.
None of us are getting out of this thing alive death is an appointment that we will all one day meet.
None of us like to think about death it is the one thing we wish we did not have to confront. But we all have a day written down in the book and on that day we will meet our maker.
And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment —
Listen to the people of this day it was no surprise that Lazarus died he was at deaths door anyway right?
Cripple diseased starving.. it was no surprise that Lazarus died.
But to the rich man death came and it came quite suddenly. It would have no doubt been quite a surprise to him.
because we se here that he was always living in joyous splendor lifestyles of the rich and famous kinda thing.
One thing we know from life it is that death comes for people at the most unexpected times. We must be ready.
When the rich man died he probably had a pretty nice funeral, after all he could afford it he had a large estate very wealthy, there were probably alot of people there some very important people were probably there.
Now if you think logically the rich man was probably placed in a very expensive tomb because only the rich could afford those in that day and time.
They probably had covered him in expensive spices and oils to preserve his body...
But Lazarus was a poor man, and no doubt when died they would have done what they did to all the poor people who could not afford a tomb. They would have carried his body outside the city gate and dumped it in a garbage heap where it would have been burned or taken care of by the animals.
How terrible but notice who his pallbearers were....
One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
He was carried into Heaven by the angels.
Listen guys I dont care what kind of funeral I am going to have one day I dont care whose there or what people say about me the only thing i care about, and that is whoever preaches my funeral that someone would preach the gospel and rejoice.
I wanna be carried away by these angels into Heaven and I wanna hear those words “Well done my good and faithful servant”
The only way to have these pallbearers to be carried away by these angels is to be found in Christ Jesus to have repented from your sin and trusted in Christ alone.
That God sent His son Jesus Christ to this earth who lived a perfect life he never broke any of Gods law He was the Lamb without spot or blemish and HE WILLINGLY LAID DOWN HIS LIFE ON THE CROSS AND HE BORE THE WRATH OF GOD SO WE DID NOT HAVE TO
And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side.
‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’
The rich man and Lazarus both died the rich man went to Hades the lake of fire or place of torment.
Each man went where they were spiritually prepared to go.
There is nothing wrong with being rich. There is nothing honorable in being poor. there will be rich people in Heaven, there will be poor people in Hell.
Each man went where he was spiritually prepared to go.
There is so much here
But let me just say this, there are so many people who think that if you die without Jesus you simply cease to exist.
That is clearly not the case there is a real Hell and it is a place of torment. Do we really believe they go to a place where the worm does not die and thier thirst will not be quenched where there is whailing and weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Constant torment
For all of eternity and it will never end
Do we really believe that?
If we do then what on Earth should stop us from teling others of hope we have in Jesus Christ?
AFRAID OF SOMEONE BEING OFFENDED?
I would rather offend you with the truth and you be saved than to comfort you with a lie!
I would rather you hate me and call me a biggot than to imagine you spending eternity in this place!
The most terrifying thing in Hell is God!
You can see Him, You can see paradise but you canot go there!
People in Hell there is a total separation from God there is no relationship there no love there...
and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name.
If we really believe what we say we believe then why are we not warning people to escape the wrath to come through the blood of Jesus?
The rich man said Father Abraham...
Father Abraham have mercy on me?
The rich man woke up in Hell and he somehow had this ability to see across this great chasm and he saw Abraham recognized him and called him by name.
Gave him a title of respect
What is he doing in the lake of fire, he had knowledge of God he knew Father Abraham. he had been taught the scriptures saw Abraham recognized him and respected him.
What is he doing in the lake of fire
I really believe qwe should study Gods word but make sure your head knowledge has penetrated your heart.
John Macarthur has said there will be many theologians in Hell.’
These people will will have a head knowledge of god but they have never been changed from the inside out.
We know his heart hasnt been changed bc look at what he says:
FATHER ABRAHAM HAVE MERCY ON ME… He thinks he is the victim and look what he says… SEND LAZARUS
It wasnt that the rich man didnt know that Lazarus was laid at his gate oh he knew it not only did he know it he even knew his name.
But even now Lazarus is nothing more than his errand boy.
ON Earth the rich man wouldn’t lift a finger to help Lazarus but now the rich man wants Lazarus to lift his finger dip it in water and touch his tounge He was very religious but his heart was hard as stone.
Even now there is no repentance there is no Lazarus I am sorry.
He grieves for himself
2 Corinthians Paul says there is a worldy sorrow which leads to death, but only Godly sorrow leads to repentance and life
Worldly= sorrow over being caught
Godly= What have I done to God with this sin
a Godly sorrow over sin is the kind of sorrow which has God as its focal point, it is not what will this sin cost me but rather how is this sin dishonoring God.
AGAINST YOU AND YOU ALONE HAVE I SINNED OH LORD
These were the words of David when the prophet Nathan confronted him over his sin with Bathsheba.
AGAINST YOU AND YOU ALONE HAVE I SINNED OH GOD
Please Lord forgive me
His sin grieved him bc he knew he slapped God in the face with the way he rebelled against God.
Do you grieve over your sin bc your sin grieves God or fo you grieve over your sin simply bc you want to be a better person?
Christians dont swim in sin, they dont enjoy sin, they dont look for opportunities to sin. When we as Christians sin we grieve over our sin and we repent.
The difference between a worldly sorrow and a Godly sorrow is the difference between heaven and Hell. If we want a Savior from Hell but not a savior from our sins then we have a Savior of neither.
If we are not being changed being conformed to the image of Christ
(Mark and my dream)
IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE RELIGION IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE GOOD MORALS.... WE NEED A RIGHTEOUSNESS HIGHER THAN OURSELVES WE NEED A RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT WE CANNOT OBTAIN THROUGH OUR WORKS.
WE NEED A SUBSTITUTE IT IS THE ONLY WAY GOD CAN BOTH PUNISH SIN AND PARDON US FROM OUR SIN IS IF WE HAVE A SUBSTITUTE HIS NAME IS JESUS AND EVEN THOUGH HE WAS GOING TO BE PUT TO OPEN SHAME HE WENT WILLINGLY AND LAID HIS LIFE DOWN FOR YOU AND FOR ME SO THAT WE MAY BE FREE FROM THE WRATH TO COME!!!
THANK YOU JESUS!
“ ‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.
The great reversal
Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
ONce we die we will go to one of two places and we will be there for all of eternity.
Can you imagine how the people who mocked Noah felt the day when it began to rain and as your head is about to go under water you see the ark floating away?
To see the vessel of your deliverance as you are in total terror and agony?
This is the eternal reality of Hell to see the place called paradise and those who dwell there and never be able to go but to live in agony forever and see the glory and goodness of God and HIs dwelling place.
“ ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— because I have five brothers—to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’
Moses and the Prophets?
They have been dead for centuries how can they hear them?
(The Bible) this is how this is how they can hear Moses and the prophets.
Send Moses anf warn my brothers but he says they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them.
They have the written word of God they have the scriptures you had the scriptures you knew them you called me by name, they have them let them read them.
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
If they could just see someone rise from the dead then they will repent, Abraham said if they will not hear Moses and the prophets niether will they believe even if someone were to come back from the dead.
There is a power in the word of God that is found nowhere else not in miracles not in signs and wonders but in the gospel.
Yet there is a massive group of professing Christianity and they have this whole emphasis on signs and wonders.
The power of god is the gospel and the word of God
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
He says it will not help is someone comes back from the dead.
“But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
He knows this because they are not going to believe even though Jesus rose from the dead
Remember the Pharisees and Scribes who were listening on?
These were the rich men, who thought that by thier religion they could be saved and Jesus was warning them of coming judgment.
Friend Can I just say to you that there is a very real place called Hell. A place of agony, a place of torment, where you will still remember everything, about your life on Earth including your family.
Where you can see the beautiful glory of Heaven but because you banked on your goodness and your selfrighteousness you will have known they way of salvation and yet now knowing the opportunities that you have had it will be too late.
Eternity is too long to be wrong.
God does not desire that any should perish but that all should turn in repentance place thier faith in Jesus and be spared of the wrath to come.
So essentially you have two choices:
You can mock me and all other Christians and be like those in Noahs day.
OR You can by faith in Christ alone walk into the safe vessel of JEsus Christ and be changed from the inside out.
Be spared from the wrath to come.
Would you come today?
Let’s Pray