After This
Notes
Transcript
Handout
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Introduction: We have an appointment with death.
Two People
Two People
The Rich Man.
The Rich Man.
This was a self righteous man.
In Luke 16 he is speaking to the Pharisees.
They were wealthy men who valued wealth, prestige, power, above what God knew about them.
They were more concerned with appearing righteous without truly being righteous.
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Notice this rich man.
Clothed in purple.
fared sumptuously every day.
He had everything because he prioritized the things of this earth… Built up treasures on earth but neglected the AFTER THIS.
Had a poor man outside his gate but never helped.
Lazarus.
Lazarus.
He was an outcast… not praised of men.
He was poor… set outside desiring crumbs.
He was sick.... full of sores.
What part of the life of Lazarus was not made right in heaven?
There are only two types of people. Those who are righteous in their own eyes and those who are righteous in the eyes of God. We must be more concerned with what God knows about us than what people think of us.
Two Places.
Two Places.
Both of these men AFTER THIS moment happened. They both died.
Lazarus died. He was alone in this life but attended by angels in the after life. His earthly body was probably dumped in the fire of Gehenna which was a trash heap outside the city.
The rich man dies as well. He was attend in this life but was alone in the next. Probably enshrined outside the Kidron valley in the row of the prophets. The graves were things that symbolized your wealth, prosperity, and power. It represented what people thought about him.
No matter how they lived on earth… they both came to their AFTER THIS time. They both died. And that is what matters for eternity. Death is the great equalizer and revealer of our heart.
The rich man had wealth in life but poor in eternity.
Laz was poor in this life but was rich in eternity,
Heaven.
Heaven.
Before the resurrection of Jesus there was place called paradise. It was divided into two sections. Shoel or Hades… Hell. Abrahams bosom. In between the two was a great gulf fixed between.
Because Lazarus was righteous in this life in Gods eyes he entered into Abrahams Bosom a place of rest.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Paul refers to the third heaven as paradise. When a believer dies they enter into the third heaven.
What about our bodies? They are awaiting the resurrection of the dead.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Are they just spirits? We have recieved an intermediate body awaiting the resurrection of our glorified body to be reunited with our soul and spirit.
1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Hell
Hell
Those in Hell are awaiting a resurrection as well.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Jesus alone warned about hell 90 times.
Imagine being on a road that is 27 miles long, the length of the NT books, and in that 27 stretch you have 150 warnings, 90 given by Jesus. 150 warnings on a 27 mile stretch saying “Stop! Danger ahead!” You think we would be serious about this.
What hell is like?
A place of punishment.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
A place of unquenchable fire, memory, and thirst.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
A place of frustration and anger.
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
A place of eternal separation from God.
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
We all have an appointment for death and then AFTER THIS.
Two Personal Decisions
Two Personal Decisions
Am I Going To Heaven When I Die?
Am I Going To Heaven When I Die?
You must make your own personal decision.
You can not depend on your own self righteousness. It will fall short.
Recognize that on the cross everything that hell is Jesus suffered for you.
On the cross he suffered punishment
On the cross he suffered pain
On the cross he remembered the sins of the world
On the cross he thirsted
On the cross he was in misery and pain
On the cross he went through frustration that God turned his back on the son.
Everything bad Jesus suffered in my place!
You can not be self righteous! you must come broken at the foot of the cross.
Are My Friends and Loved Ones Ready For Eternity?
Are My Friends and Loved Ones Ready For Eternity?
Notice the Rich Mans response. He was concerned for his brothers.
Could it be that in Hell people have more of a burden for the lost than the church does.
Send someone back from the dead… They have the word and Jesus.
