Luke 16:19-31

This morning, I invite you to turn with me to the book of Luke, Chapter 16. We’ll be reading verses 19 to 31. This is a very familiar passage of scripture. Hopefully we can provide some insight regarding this, even though we’re familiar with the storyline itself. Luke 16 beginning with verse 19 it was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of source and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. 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. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seized Abraham afar off and Lazarus and seized Abraham his bosom. 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. But Abraham said, son, remember that thou in my lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. but now he is comforted and thou are tormented and beside all this between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that they cannot they which would pass from hence to you cannot and neither can they pass to us that would come from thence thence thence then he said i pray thee therefore father that thou would to send him to my father’s house, for I have five brethren that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. And Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. He said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded. The one rose from the dead. May God bless to us, this sacred and holy word. This morning. If we looked at the events in Joseph’s life, you wouldn’t know that God’s favor rested upon him. Without the revelation of scripture, you might be tempted to think God’s curse rested on poor Joseph. He was hated, he was sold into slavery, you recall, by his brothers. It appeared to be a very evil circumstance in his life. When his master’s wife lied and had him thrown into prison, it seemed like a catastrophe had taken place. Things could not get any worse. Yet it’s in the prison where Joseph meets the cup bearer of Pharaoh, and that begins his exaltation to be second in the high position of authority in Egypt. And he saves his entire family during a devastating and long famine. when Joseph later speaks to his brothers about this whole episode in his life and all that happened to him, he said, he thought evil against me, but God bent it under good, bring the past as it is this day, save much people alive. The things of this life are very difficult to interpret. God’s providence is often very misdemeanor. mysterious. And what appears to be a great evil in your life may end up to be a great blessing. We’re coming out to that well-known story about the rich man and Lazarus. Which of those two men appears to enjoy God’s favor? And I think most people would rather have had the rich man’s life and not that of Lazarus. However, it’s Lazarus, whom God loves and favors. He enters the bliss of heaven and not the rich man. Jesus tells this parable to warn people about being covetous, as he said in verse 13, which was the main evil of the Pharisees. So this story is still dealing with the subject of covetousness. And the lesson here is placing false confidence in your outward circumstances. And we have to be careful about that. And not judge everything just by the outward circumstances. I’ll begin by saying this. Your earthly condition is no test of your state. in the sight of God. Let’s look at verses 1921 together. There was a certain rich man which clothed was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his feet at his gate full of sores and desired to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his source. Your prosperity in life is no guarantee of God’s favor. We see the prosperity of the rich man. God had entrusted this unnamed rich man with an abundance of things from this world. He was extremely. extremely wealthy. His whole life, evidently, was one of luxury, one of ease. He dressed in purple and fine linen. It was like royalty, like a king or a prince, did he dress. Every day was a feast day at his house. We can imagine all kinds of delicious foods. The best imported wines, the wonderful music, maybe special dancing and entertainment and so forth. He had the good life. His life was one of ease and plenty, a life to be envied by many, but attained by few. And you might be tempted to say, God’s blessing, God’s favor, certainly rest upon this man. Most people. would think God really loves this guy. He is overflowing with blessings, and so we see the prosperity here of the rich man. But then I suggest to you that you think about the end of the rich man. While the rich man appeared to be highly favored by God, the fact is he ends up in hellfire enduring the wrath of God. Christ demonstrates that you may have a great deal of wealth and enjoy many of the pleasures of this world and yet perish under God’s curse. You cannot infer that you, because you are living the good life on earth, that God loves you, that God loves you, and is being gracious to you and you’re highly favored and all is well with your soul. The point of the parable is not that riches and of themselves are sinful. Possessing wealth is not wrong or evil. The righteous Abraham that’s mentioned in this passage was certainly a rich man as well as the evil Nabal. The riches that we have life are a commodity. They do not make you good or bad by themselves. And there is nothing said here about the rich man, you know, gaining his wealth and unscrupulous manners. He’s not condemned for being a crooked businessman, for instance. Nevertheless, plenty and pleasure may be very dangerous for the love of of money is the root of all evil. And Jesus reveals that it’s very hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, because he trusts in his riches and not in God. Riches may indeed be a fatal detriment to evil or to eternal life. So having a life of ease and pleasure has caused the ruin of many of a soul. And so it is proved in this man’s case in this parable. It wasn’t good for him to be wealthy. Listen to Asaph, for I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked until I went the sanctuary of God and understood their end. And so we talk about the end of the wicked. We talk about the end of these people. It doesn’t turn out very well. So your prosperity is no guarantee of God’s favor. But let me also say this. Your suffering is no guarantee of a place in heaven. We look at it. the sorrows of Lazarus. Lazarus suffers a lot in this life. Doubtless, in their earthly possessions, there could not be a sharper contrast between the rich man and Lazarus. One had everything, and one had nothing. Lazarus was poor as it could possibly be. You see him sort of dumped dumped helplessly at the gate of the rich man’s house. He had no means of support, no way of providing for himself. We suppose that the necessities of life were probably charitably provided by those that took pity on him. He was dressed in rags. He was dirty and unwashed, undisheveled, and unkept at a deplorable sight for all who passed by that way. He was hungry. not just once in a while, but all the time. The pain of his belly could not be satisfied. He desired just the crumbs off the table of the rich man. And he had to be content with that. You can imagine them being swept out in the street. It’s food for the wild dogs which roamed the filthy city streets. Yet even this was not all. Lazarus was very ill. He was covered with ulcerous sores which were running and filled with pus. They never healed. There was no oil to clean them. No medicine to aid in his recovery. The only companions he seems to have are these wild dogs. Came and licked his sores and scrowns around. the filth of the streets for with him for a little bit to eat. This was a miserable life. As he lay there suffering outside the door of the rich man, you can imagine he prayed for deliverance from such a life. The sorrows of Lazarus. We see that earthly sorrow however is no guarantee of heaven. Now, just as it was wrong to conclude that riches caused this rich man to perish, so it would be wrong to think that earthly sorrow granted Lazarus’ paradox. Jesus never taught that Lazarus was saved because he was poor. There are several activists, that are social activists and liberation theologists who love to use the body. Bible in this way. They love the quote, you know, blessed or the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Ignoring what Christ meant, blessed are those who are poor in this life, if indeed they are believers in Christ. But if you’re poor in this life and you’re not rich toward God either, that’s not any good. And so we see the problem here. God’s not a Marxist. It’s not that economics are determinative of your salvation. Poverty is not a virtue which commends you to God’s favor and grace. There are many people who cling to the notion that they suffer their hell in this life. So eternal happiness is certain in the next. Many years ago, Pastor Brownlow North was asked to visit four old women who happened to live in one apartment that was provided by the parish for them. They were all too infirm to attend to worship. service. Three were bedridden and the fourth managed to cook and care for the other three. North was told that one woman was not going to live very long, so he went over to her bed and ended her a conversation about Christ and the things of salvation. And the woman was positively assured of entering into heaven. The pastor left with joyfulness in his heart heart to witness such assurance. Imagine his astonishment when an old nurse pulled him aside and related that this woman was one of the most hardened and unbelieving sinners imaginable. It was quite true that she was dying and she likely did believe that she was going to go to heaven. But she made little room. she made the little room in which she lived a horrible place this nurse said whole night she would spend keeping everyone else awake with her oaths and her cursing she was in pain and if anything displeased her her her passion and language were frightful and North was amazed by all this and went back to see her the next day North asked are you happy and prepared to to die as you were yesterday and she said, oh yes, I’m always ready. I wish I could go now. Nor said, well, then you feel quite sure that Christ loves you and you know that you love him. You know that his blood has washed away your sin and he’s your savior, right? The woman said, oh, some good ladies have been talking to me about that, but that’s not why I want to die. I want to die because I want to die because I’m I’ve had all my suffering in this world and so when I die I’m going to go to heaven. And North said, what do you mean? She said, I mean, getting angry here and quite excited, that people are never poor and miserable in both worlds. The woman said, I have been a poor wretched creature suffering all ill health and poverty all my days. I’ve never never known anything but misery and now I am dying as I have lived. Do you think God would let me be miserable in the next world? Nor said woman, your condition is terrible. You speak to truth when you say you are miserable and dying, but your greatest misery is to think that you’re going to heaven when you are going to hell. The Bible says that there is no other name, but the name of Jesus given among men whereby we must be saved and you’re not trusting in his name but in your own past sorrows and your own suffering is what you’re trusting in with impatience the woman replied nonsense I again tell you that I’ve had my suffering here is the rich those who have had a life of pleasure and enjoyment here not the poor they’re going to suffer in the world to come. The war said, but the poor as well as the rich will end up in the same place when they die. If they die without Christ, neither poverty nor riches can in all of themselves destroy or save us all. The woman said, no he wouldn’t. No he wouldn’t. I’m no scholar, but I know he wouldn’t. It’s the likes of me to go to heaven. It’s the likes of you to go to hell. North realized that it was useless to argue with her. She soon died one night in a mixture of rage and oaths. Don’t let Satan deceive you into thinking if you suffer in this life, then you’re automatically guaranteed heaven in the life to come. Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. So your earthly condition is no test of your state in God’s sight. Now notice your soul’s condition reveals your state in God’s sight. Now you can be like the rich man. You may profess to be a child of God. He might be tempted to think this rich man. was some kind of miserable, cynical, an atheist. Maybe one who gave no thought to religious matters, but you would be wrong. The careful reading of our text reveals that the picture of the man is completely wrong if we have that picture. The likelihood is that this man was an outwardly decent, synagogue-going Jew. He just happens to have expensive tastes and the income to indulge him. It’s obvious that this man was a natural son of Abraham. From the depths of hell, he calls out to father Abraham in verse 24. And Abraham responds by calling him son. and verse 25. He seems to be a Jew. He was born a Jew. Outwardly, the seed of Abraham. No doubt he was proud of his heritage. He thought it made him privileged in the sight of God. Notice that the rich man and his brothers knew Moses and the prophets. Verse 29. They’re not ignorant Gentiles. here or pagans, they must have heard the rabbis read and expound the law and the prophets. So they must have gone to the synagogue. He is not some ignorant heathen, devoid of all scriptural knowledge. He appears to be well respected in the Jewish society. So he had outward religion. You learn from this that simply professing to be a child of God. And attending a church does not guarantee that you will escape hellfire. The greatest danger for your soul is to be religious and never know the salvation that’s found in Jesus Christ. If you’re satisfied with your own righteousness, and never seek the perfect righteousness that comes from Christ, you will perish. So you may profess to be a child of Your true character, however, is revealed in your actions toward others. The heart state of the rich man is exposed by his ignoring of Lazarus. He that loveth his brother whom he have seen, how can he love God when we have not seen? First John 4.20. Here was a man. that fared sumptuously every day. But he didn’t care whether or not his fellow Israelites starved a death right in front of him. Think about that in a minute. He lived only for himself, for the praise of men. His God was his belly and ignored what Micah, the prophet said. what does God or the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love mercy and walk humbly with by God and Micah 6 8 to love mercy to love showing mercy and yet we don’t see any mercy being shown by the rich man what Lazarus with Lazarus at his gate all the selfishness all the covetousness all the man in worship of the rich man becomes evident. He did not love his neighbor as himself, and his cold indifference of the plight of Lazarus revealed his basic covetousness. What did he care about the hungry and the sick? Why should he drain his resources attempting to help Lazarus? If you don’t have compassion, and mercy in your heart. For those who are in need, especially, those of the household of faith, there’s something seriously wrong with you. So you can be like the rich man. It can be like Lazarus. You can be rich in Christ. Although Jesus does not refer to this except by implication, we may nevertheless, I think, deduce that Lazarus here was spiritually rich. Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? As James 2.5 tells us. It is Lazarus who ends up in paradise. Jesus said, and this is the will of him that sent me, that every one that seeth the sun and believeth on him may have everlasting life. The rich man, did not have everlasting life. Lazarus has everlasting life, and therefore he must have believed on Christ, on the Messiah. Lazarus was a believer. The name Lazarus means he whom God helps. He was a true child of Abraham, as his head laid on the bosom of Abraham in paradise. Now we know, that he was wretched and miserable in this life, but he was carried to Abraham’s bosom by the Holy Angels, was he not? He trusted in God’s promises as they had been made to Father Abraham for the gospel was preached to Abraham, you recall. Lazarus looked for his daily bread, and God provided something for him. Every time he scooped up a few crumbs from the rich man’s table, we can imagine him thanking the Lord for that. Those who are truly rich are rich in spiritual blessings, not material prosperity. Now, this is not always easy to comprehend. The scriptures speak of being rich in faith. Do they not? For by the scriptures speak of being rich in faith. faith you come to know Jesus Christ and all spiritual blessings are wrapped up in Jesus Christ and you become an heir of all things. All spiritual blessings are in Him. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to possess eternal life makes you one of the richest persons on earth. So you’re rich in Christ. Now notice you may suffer great inequity regarding the things of the things of the this light. Not many rich people enter into heaven the Bible tells us. And therefore you should realize most of God’s people are not among the rich. Doesn’t that make sense? It doesn’t always please God to grant wealth to his people. People provide for your needs, but he often withholds great prosperity from us. Agor, in the Book of Prophemy, I asked the Lord not to give him material riches. Why? Lest I be fool and deny thee and say who is the Lord? Proverbs 30 in verse 9. My friends, we may struggle as a child of God in this life. You may have to live from paycheck to paycheck. You may not live in a mansion. You may not drive the finest automobile. Bill, God never promised you that you would. You must not allow yourself to envy those who have wealth. For divine providence is a good reason for keeping wealth from you. God would have you appreciate the riches, the true riches that are in Christ. To look beyond this life for a better life to come. The Lazarus, of this world must do so. Divine grace, in fact, divine graces we should say, are often developed in the fires and troubles of this life. Wealth may prevent you from undergoing trials. And in that way, it would stunt your spiritual growth. There was a customer that once asked a storekeeper, what makes this set of China so much more expensive than this other set, because they look almost the like. The reply was simple. The costlier set has had more done to it. You see, it had to be put through the kiln twice because the flowers are on a yellow background. On less expensive sets, they’re on a white background. The costly China had to be put through the fire once for the yellow background in a second time. for the design that was upon it. So it is with the child of God. God intends much more for you than others. You may have to go through the kiln with all the fire and the heat several times for God’s intended design to come to path. You may experience double trouble in this life, but God has a good purpose for bringing us. all this into your life and bringing you through it. And so as we look at this text this morning, your earthly condition is no test of your state in the sight of God. Your soul’s condition reveals your state in the sight of God. And therefore, it’s essential that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have to be true. have eternal life. For you may be miserable in this life, and yet enter into paradise like Lazarus in our text. Well, may God bless us as we think about this text this morning, and we’ll be looking at it for the next several weeks. And may God bless us and encourage us from what Jesus teaches. We are going to ask a word of prayer at this time. Heavenly Father, we’ve come before. for you. We confess, Lord, that we don’t wish to be suffering like Lazarus suffered. Thankfully, Lord, you don’t put us all through such suffering. But yet, Father, we do suffer in this life. Help us to trust in you, to be confident in our relationship with you and look forward to entering into paradise in the life to come. bless your people and strengthen us in the faith. May God bless us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, this morning. Let’s stand for the benediction. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.