The Concern of the Rich Man

Introduction

Today’s message will be one that revolves around / involves a topic of rare focus for the church today. It’s a topic that preachers have tried to explain away, ignore or just deny.

A man by the name of Rob Bell (many have not heard of him, but not too long ago, he appeared to be the future of Christianity in America.

He founded a church called Mars Hill and was the fastest growing in America in the 2,000’s w/ Sunday attendance between 8-10k

In 2011, Time placed him on the list of 100 Most Influential people int he world.

Also in 2011, he released a book titled ‘Love Wins’ which in it put forth the concept that there was no Hell. And that God essentially redeems everyone - Muslims, Buddhists, atheists - it doesn’t matter. Everyone goes to Heaven because ‘Love Wins’.

The Rob Bells of the World Deny Hell

In 2003, Barna Group put out a survey on American’s views on Heaven & Hell

71% of American’s believed in a place called Hell, However, only 32% of them believed it to be an actual place of torment & suffering.

This is most likely a result of a view that Billy Graham put forth - the thought that Hell is simply a state of ‘burning thirst for God that can never be quenched’. (At least as far back as ‘83)

So there are those who explain it away

Then you have what most preachers & churches do. They simply ignore the subject. Why?

Because it doesn’t tickle the ear

It can be a ‘turn off’ to visitors

It might effect the offerings

Too many preachers want to make their congregations comfortable. (Ill.) But you know what the problem with that is? I’ll go home after this service. I’ll eat me a meal, and then I’ll sit down on the loveseat… and get comfortable. But if I sit there too long, I’ll fall asleep. AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM! TOO MANY CHRISTIANS ARE SLEEPING! TOO MANY CHRISTIANS ARE DOING AS PETER, JAMES AND JOHN IN THE GARDEN! CHRIST TOLD THEM TO ‘WATCH & PRAY’, BUT THEY SLEPT INSTEAD.

Church, I love you - but I don’t want you comfortable. We shouldn’t get comfortable in this world.

So today we’re not going to Deny the truth of Hell

Today we’re not going to explain it away

We’re certainly not going to ignore it.

I plan to give you the truth concerning it. This man that Jesus spoke of as having been there, and what he experienced as a result.

You know, many people think a lot about Heaven. That’s what they want to envision. I think of the song ‘How Beautiful Heaven Must Be’ But the Bible tells me that I can’t even begin to imagine what God has in store for me there! 1Cor. 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

However, in this passage of Scripture, Jesus gives us so much detail concerning Hell.

And so in 1Cor. 2, Paul is saying ‘Man, you can’t even envision what Heaven is like’, Jesus in Luk. 16 is saying ‘You need to envision what Hell is going to be like’.

Church, we need to get a vision… Not of what Heaven is like, for it’s a futile attempt. We need to envision what Hell is like! We need to get a vision of that awful place!

We need to understand the sights & sounds!

We need to understand the hopelessness & despair!

We need to understand the multitudes of Mamma's & Daddy’s & children that inhabit that place! Real People! People loved - by men and by God! Yet even still they lift their eyes & cry out for a drop of water to cool their tongues!

We need to understand what it takes for people to go there. Because in truth it often takes multiple things:

It takes a soul rejecting the salvation offered by Jesus Christ

It also takes apathetic Christians who refuse to get out of our comfort zone and warn them.

It takes sorry preachers that fail to preach it for how it might effect their pockets or the way people view them

Today’s message is titled ‘The Concern of the Rich Man’. And the first thing that we’ll consider is ‘The Rich Man’s Conversion’

I. The Rich Man’s Conversion

Yes I said Conversion - and yes I’m talking about the Rich Man who lift up his eyes in Hell. I’ll explain this better in a moment. But first, I want you to understand His part of why he chose Hell. And Yes, He chose Hell. There’s not been a soul in Hell that didn’t choose to be there.

His Life was Focused on His Flesh (v19)

Not much is spoken of concerning his earthly life other than what we can glean from v19 & v25.

He was clothed in the colors of a king

He ‘fared sumptuously every day (joyous)’

The Rich Man recieved good things (‘good’ things speaking of physical blessings)

This state of living, these cares of life was what was the focus of this man. He was focused on the flesh. He was inwardly focused on what would please this mound of clay that will one day return to the earth.

I want to express a simple Bible truth.

You cannot focus on your flesh and your Spirit at the same time.

You cannot please your flesh and your Spirit at the same time.

You cannot submit to your flesh and your Spirit at the same time.

You will either, PLEASE, FOCUS and SUBMIT to your flesh, OR your Spirit - there’s just no two ways about it.

Rom. 8:5-8 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Rom. 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Gal. 6:8 “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

This man was Focused on his flesh, THEREFORE, in life He Failed in His Faith

In Life He Failed in His Faith

I have already read Rom. 8:5 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” , but the Bible also says this:

Gal. 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

1Pe. 2:11 “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”

There’s a reason why Jesus said: Mar. 10:24b “... Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”

Church, there is only one way to escape this place called Hell.

It’s not by works of righteousness which we have done.

It’s not by baptismal waters - whether in a pool or a stream

It’s by faith in Jesus!

Jesus said: Joh. 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Paul & Silas told the Jailor: Act. 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

And if you’re trusting in: Your Riches; Your Works; Your Money - You’ll lift up your eyes in Hell, just like this man here.

And you can be better than me (most are) - but it’s still not good enough

You can be better than my wife (none are) - but it’s STILL not good enough

You’ll either escape that place by faith in Christ, or you’ll not escape it at all!

The Rich man’s faith was misplaced in Life, but in Death He Figured Out His Failing

In Death He Figured Out His Failing

Make no mistake...

He figured out that the carnal things of this world matter little

He figured out that pleasing the flesh had no true purpose

He figured out that faith in his own riches couldn’t bring him salvation

He figured out that he didn’t need his purple robe to keep warm in Hell

He figured out all these things… but he figured them out too late.

(Ill.) You may walk the halls of your office, your grocery store or your school and find people who claim to be atheists. But one thing is for certain: You’ll not find any atheists in Hell.

You’ll not find anyone confused as to the plan of Salvation and where they went wrong.

You’ll not find anyone who is too prideful at that point that they won’t beg for mercy.

II. The Rich Man’s Compassion

We’ll be looking at this mans Compassion in a moment, but first I want to look at his Poverty

His Poverty (v23-24)

Gone was the gay clothing

Gone were the fine meals

Gone was the joy and rejoicing

In it’s place we find:

Torments & Terror

Destitute and Naked

All of the things that the Rich man enjoyed were gone!

Jesus told this story of another rich man: Luk. 12:16-21 “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

You can satisfy your flesh all you want in this life, but those pleasures aren’t going to follow you to the next!

We see his Poverty. He was Rich, but no longer. Secondly, we see His Position

His Position (v26)

Separated from God

We see that Abraham explained that there was a ‘great gulf fixed’ between where he was and where they were. But the most important thing to take away from this verse is that he was without hope.

Without Hope

He was separated from God

He was in torments

But the worst of it was that there was nothing that could be done. There was no remedy. He was stuck. Forever. It didn’t matter how much he begged, he wasn’t getting a drop of water.

And listen to me Christian - Lazarus couldn’t go if he wanted to. It wasn’t just that the Rich man had no hope of Salvation, Lazarus had no hope in Helping him either!

So we see his position. But what I really want to focus on today is his prayer.

His Prayer (v27-28)

Now resigned to his position and future, we see the compassion of the Rich Man revealed. He prayed for his brothers.

This wasn’t some no account worthless person who was some abstract thought. He was a person who cared for others. Who loved his family.

This is the point that I really hope you get today. Hell is not filled with some abstract beings - Hell is filled with real people!

White ppl & Black ppl

Men & women (yes it’s one or the other - and God gets to choose, not us)

Old and young, Rich and poor

Mamma's & daddy’s, grandpa’s & grandma’s, sons & daughters

The famous & the forgotten

Rom. 2:11 “For there is no respect of persons with God.”

It seems that we distance ourselves from this fact. We don’t want to be troubled by the inconvenient truth that Hell enlargeth itself everyday. We want to live in our little bubble and pretend that this reality doesn’t exist. This is why so many people want to deny it. This is why so many people want to explain it away. But it’s a HORRIBLE PLACE that people go to everyday. EVERYDAY!

It’s a place where the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not

It’s a place where we remember and regret

It’s a place where we long for Salvation, but can never be Satisfied

It’s a real place full of real people.

This man was in torments - and he starts thinking about his brothers! He knew the path they were on would lead them there, and he didn’t want them to go!

III. The Rich Man’s Culmination

His Petition was Denied

This Rich Man had compassion - but unfortunately, it was realized too late.

He wasn’t praying for them before his death. He wasn’t concerned with his Spiritual well being nor that of his brothers before death - but certainly was after. He wanted to do something for his brothers - but he was told ‘no’.

His Petition was Denied, and He was Powerless to Change Anything

His was Powerless to Change Anything

Helpless, Hopeless, In torments, remembering and regretting how he wasted his life! He wasted his opportunity for things to be different, why? Just so he could please his flesh that would eventually burn.

Conclusion

If you’ve never placed your faith in Christ - this place of which I’ve spoken is your future home. This is where you’re headed.

That’s not to say that you’re a bad person, or lack compassion for others. It’s just the truth. And you can realize that now while you still can do something about it, or you can realize it too late. That’s up to you.

Christians, it’s time to wake up. It’s too late to concern yourself with the salvation of your loved ones once you’re dead. Why not worry about that now? Why not do something about that now while you have opportunity?