WWB: PT6 Eternity is coming, are you ready?
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Big Idea:
Theme: Eternity
BI: Eternity awaits the believer and unbeliever alike.
End Goal:
Think | Feel | DO
10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
{WE/ME – Find common ground with the audience.}
Buzz lightyears favorite quote from Toy Story “To infinity and Beyond”. I want to speak about infinity and beyond, specifically eternity. Where do we go from here. When we breath our last breath.
Scripture has alot to say about it, but my focus today will be on one message that Jesus shared with the Pharisees. You see they loved worldly possessions (v14) and money. The main emphasis in Jesus teaching can be seen in Luke 16:15.
Luke 16:15 (NIV)
15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
READ Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity 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 fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES, DO NOT EQUAL YOUR FINAL DESTINATION. V.19-21
DEATH, IS INEVITABLE v.22
DESTINY IS DETERMINED BY GOD’S WORD
{GOD – Engage the audience with the text.} As I read scripture, what are the things/topics/truths that I feel God would want to bring out to move the church forward? - GK
Open your bibles to Luke 16:19-26
CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES, DO NOT EQUAL YOUR FINAL DESTINATION. V.19-21
CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES, DO NOT EQUAL YOUR FINAL DESTINATION. V.19-21
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
Life had been kind to the rich man
Dressed in Armani suits
Eating on some of the best food…Not Fast Food…the best food
Life was not so kind to Lazarus
Dealing with sickness and disease, painful situations
His desire was not for clothes, houses, Stuff
Unable to walk
He would just be happy to eat the crumbs from the rich man’s table
But the dogs cared more for Lazarus, than the people
But notice that is not the end of our story:
Luke 16:23–24 (HCSB)
23 And being in torment in Hades, he/Rich man looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘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!’
You see:
We find the Rich man in Hades
The New Testament Greek equivalent to sheol is hades, which is also a general reference to “the place of the dead.”
Other Scriptures in the New Testament indicated that sheol/hades is a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection.
What is the final Resurrection, it is in Revelation 20:
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
And Lazarus in Heaven
Abraham’s bosom is referred to only once in the Bible—in the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19–31). Abraham’s bosom was used in the Talmud as a synonym for heaven. The image in the story is of Lazarus reclining at a table leaning on Abraham’s breast—as John leaned on Jesus’ breast at the Last Supper—at the heavenly banquet. Abraham’s bosom is obviously a place of peace, rest, and joy—in other words, paradise.
The souls of the righteous, at death, go directly into the presence of God—the part of sheol called “heaven,” “paradise,” or “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23).
Today: Your life may have been rocky, and maybe painful. But God offers you hope and a better life. Eternal Life with God forever... if you will surrender your will to His son Jesus.
DEATH, IS INEVITABLE v.22
DEATH, IS INEVITABLE v.22
They joke and say that 2 things are inevitable in life, Death and Taxes. If there is a third, it would be Virginia Taxes.
Notice again in v22
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
They both died
Lazarus was carried by the angels of God, into Heaven (God’s Presence)
8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
The Rich man was what…buried.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
A man who had everything, could take nothing with him.
That’s it, He was buried. Nothing special, no hope, the time for repentance is over. Time to ask Jesus into your heart was gone, for him.
Once your life is over, so is your opportunity to repent and get right with God. Once you are in eternity, you CANNOT cross over.
26 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.’
The Rich man whose destiny is already set in motion and cannot be changed, ask for someone to go tell his family. If you were in that circumstance in the afterlife, wouldn’t you want someone to go tell your family...
Don’t come here
You don’t want this
There is not comfort
It is all flames
There is more to come.
There is Hope my Friend!
Destiny is determined by the Word of God v.27-31
Destiny is determined by the Word of God v.27-31
27 “ ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “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.’ ”
Jesus is telling us today to listen to Moses and the Prophets.
The phrase the law and the prophets refers to the entire Hebrew Bible, what we call the Old Testament. Jesus spoke of “the law and the prophets” multiple times. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pointed to His absolute perfection, saying, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
When Philip invited his friend Nathanael to meet Jesus, he referred to the whole of Hebrew Scripture in its two-fold division: “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about—Jesus of Nazareth”
Through the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, God offers to have a relationship with you. In the Old Testament, he promised a Messiah from the decedent's of David. To be born in Bethlehem.
In the New Testament, we see the promised Messiah die for the sins of the world, so that you could have eternal life. You do not have to experience what this Rich man went through.
12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
Any if You are here and you have never ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, to be born again to be saved. I cannot say it enough, take this message seriously. Time is short. You will be given an opportunity today to respond.
{YOU – Find one point of application everyone can embrace.} Do people feel a burden on them to accomplish it OR do they feel empowered to take steps because God is with them?
If you are hear today and you would say pastor, I know Christ as my savior and Lord. I repented of my sins and asked him into my hear along time ago. Let me ask you a question.
Are you on fire for God that you would say “please send someone to my relatives and warn them!”
That someone is you.
Will you ask God to give you the strength to tell your Friends/Family/Relatives/Neighbors about Jesus, before the door of opportunity is over.
{Imagine what we can do together}
Imagine what we can do together if we all took this story to heart and really got outside these doors and told people about the one who can free them from their sins and give them a hope for tomorrow.