HELL IS REAL
Luke 16:19-31
STEWARDSHIP IS FELLOWSHIP IN ACTION
Whenever Jesus taught the Word there was always a mixed crowd. There were
the common citizens who came to hear the word and there were His distractors
who came to find fault. His distractors were the Jewish hierarchy which was
Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the law, and sometimes chief priests.
Chapter 16 started with a parable of a poor steward of his master's business.
In general, we take better care of our business than God's business. Since
everything we have come from God, then all business belongs to God.
If we are not good stewards of the little we have, God will not make
us rulers of the bigger things He has for us.
The Pharisees after hearing the parable mocked Jesus. They knew it was
directed at their love for money, power, and position rather than the responsibility
of the citizens of the nation of Israel. They coveted their position and wealth
rather than coveting the welfare of the people. Jesus continued to expose their
evil motives.
Next Jesus turned His attention to marriage, God’s premier institution.
God hates divorce. He reminds us of coveting someone outside of marriage is
an act of adultery.
Next, He turned His attention to coveting selfishness over kindness to others
using the parable of Lazarus and the rich man
There is nothing to condemn the rich man for his wealth. He may have gained
all he had through hard work and dedication. His problem was giving all credit to
himself.
There is nothing said to condemn Lazarus for his poor condition. He may have
been born in poor circumstances without the support of family or relatives.
It was Jesus who said the poor would always be with us.
The name Lazarus means God is help. The fact that Lazarus was poor and helpless
suggest that someone was feeding him from time to time.
Jesus highlights the selfishness and lack of compassion of the rich man.
He highlights the needs of the poor among us and our responsibility.
The rich man dressed well ate well and partied well all the while ignoring
the needs of Lazarus placed outside his gate.
God does not condemn the rich man for not using his wealth to feed the poor,
just for ignoring the opportunity to help the one placed at his gate. Not only
is the rich man condemned but all who passed by Lazarus head to the
rich man's palace.
The story points out that life is short. The rich and the poor all die. The story
also points out that death is not the end but just a new beginning. There are
two destinations, heaven or hell determined by our stewardship in this life.
The reward of a Godly life is heaven and the reward of worldly life is hell.
That old saying that when you are dead you are done, is not true. While we
yet live, we have a choice to make heaven our eternal home or do nothing
and end in hell.
DON’T BE A RICH FOOL
V: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.
Notice God puts the opportunity to be His servant or a servant of ourselves at
our doorstep. We don't have to go far to serve God. We don't need additional
resources to serve God. All we have to do is use what we have in front
of us.
The greatest command is to love the Lord your God with all your mind heart
and soul. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. The rich man,
the subject of the story, had no love in his heart for God or man.
The man blessed by God was selfish and thoughtless not to feed Lazarus
the crumbs from his table. When he dressed himself, he put no thought into
clothing Lazarus with used cloth from his closet. When he laid down in the
comfort of his bed at night, he gave no thought to Lazarus laying on the ground
uncovered at his front gate. When the doctors visited him and his family
he gave no thought to having his doctor check on Lazarus. When he drank
the water and wine from his table, he gave no thought to sending a drink to
Lazarus.
God gives us many opportunities to serve if we would only open our heart
to the good, we can do to supply the needs of the poor.
LIFE IS SHORT, MAKE THE BEST OF IT
V: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 hell, 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.'
There is a time when each of us will die. What will your record say about you?
Will love and kindness be recorded or selfish desires be printed? Will fellowship
with Jesus be your badge or the devil and his demons be your friends?
Will the Lord know you on your last day on earth or will the record say you rejected
him.
Lazarus endured his poor condition until his death. We find no cry or complaint
to God. We find no record of Lazarus being a troublemaker or a man
of lies. We do find in his name, God is help.
Whoever named him, gave him the hope of God. Someone must have cared
enough to lay Lazarus at the gate of the rich man where help was available.
God even sent the dogs to lick his sores. God protected Lazarus from the hunger of the wild dogs and other wild beast. It is evident that God was
watching over Lazarus.
His presence in heaven speaks volumes to his character. We don’t know
what Lazarus did before his demise. We do know he accepted the Word
of God as the truth for his life. The circumstances of one life are not
indicators of a lack of a relationship with God.
God allows some to be poor on earth but with a rich inheritance in heaven.
The poor on earth is a visual reminder of how blessed we are and not to take
anything without gratitude. The poor on earth is a reminder of our
responsibility to them.
The rich man while blessed with much on earth was poor in spirit. He gave
no thought to eternal life until he was faced with it. He had a rich bank account
on Earth but nothing but hell stored in Heaven. Had the rich man taken time
to help Lazarus, he may have come to know the God of his hope.
The very man He ignored on earth was the one he ask for help in hell. The rich
drank the best on earth but had nothing to drink in hell. He lived in
comfort on earth but burned in hell. He looks for Lazarus in Heaven to
have pity on him in hell. It was too late.
HELL IS REAL, REJECT THE TICKET
V: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 fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
The text indicates that there is consciousness after death. Absent from the
body but present with Lord. According to Ecclesiastics at death, the body
returns to the dust from which it came and the spirit returns to the Lord. The
Lord is in charge of heaven and hell. We place ourselves in heaven by our faith
in Jesus or in hell by our unbelief.
Our spirits will have feelings in death. Feelings of joy in heaven and feelings of agony in
hell will be elevated beyond anything we can conceive on earth.
If your final destination is hell, you will know why you are there. It will be no
accident, it will be because of the choice you made. If your
final destination is heaven you spend eternity living in the presence of the
The glory of the Father,
HELL IS TOO LATE TO CHANGE YOUR OUTCOME
V:27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 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.'"
Every person living on earth has the opportunity to believe in Jesus. John 3:16 is
not a works salvation. It is a faith salvation. Everyone living on earth is given
the invitation to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Once in hell, you will be there for all eternity. In hell it is too late to consider the
welfare of your relatives. It is obvious from his conversation with Abraham
that while he lived he knew of God but refused to worship Him,
In Hell, you will not be able to reason with the Father about your condition. Those
who believed in fortune tellers will know their lies. There is no communication
between those in Heaven or hell with those still living on Earth. The only person
that can change your final destination is you.
Four things I recommend while you are still alive.
Believe that Heaven is real
Believe that Hell is real
Accept Jesus as your personal Savior immediately.
Proclaim the salvation of the Lord to all your loved ones.
Rev. M. Mitchell
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