A man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table.
Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side.
The rich man also died and was buried.
In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
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.
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.
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.
He answered,
Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers.
Let him warm them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.
Abraham replied,
They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them.
No, Father Abraham, he said,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.
He said to him,
If you do not listen to Moses and the prophets,
then they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead.
Well, let's pray together.
Father, as we come to your word, to your truth,
we pray that it would shape our hearts,
challenge us where we need to be challenged,
and that it would cause us to see
that Christ is enough,
and that Christ is sufficient.
Father, do a work in our lives today.
Make us that we would become more like the Lord Jesus,
in every way.
We pray this for your glory and for our good.
Amen.
Well, if you won the Euro Millions,
what would you do with it?
What do you dream you could do?
Would you pay off your mortgage?
Maybe buy a new car,
or take a holiday,
do a world travel trip?
Well, you mightn't win the Euro Millions.
It's a very slim chance that we will.
But what if you were to suddenly have access to a little extra cash?
Maybe some money is left to you in a will.
Perhaps you get a promotion,
start a new job,
and it's got a better salary.
Or some savings account has matured.
But what do you fantasise about
if you just had a little bit more money?
A bit more spare cash in the wallet
at the end of the week?
What would you do?
Would you get a new phone?
An upgrade,
or decorate the house,
or just treat yourself,
and go shopping,
and buy something for me?
Well, money's not a bad thing.
It's not wrong to have money.
Money is actually a good gift from God.
But we need to be so, so careful.
Money is powerful.
It has the power to control us
and consume us.
Look at what Jesus says back in verse 13.
This comes actually at the end of another parable about money.
So verse 13, it says,
No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one
and love the other,
or you will be devoted to one
and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.
The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all this
and were sneering at Jesus.
So in response,
Jesus tells a story.
Now as we go through this story,
I know it's familiar to a lot of you,
but as we go through it,
I want us to be asking this question.
Who am I in the story?
Not who would I like to be,
but who am I?
First,
in the story,
there are two kinds of people.
First we have the rich man,
verse 19.
There was a rich man
who was dressed in purple and fine linen,
which was kind of the designer clothing of the day,
and lived in luxury every day.
He's Mr. Giorgio Armani.
That fine-cut suit.
A Versace watch hanging loose on his wrist.
The bling.
Gated playhouse for all his parties.
And of course, his pride and joy,
his personalised Lamborghini.
He's a wealthy man.
Now before you say,
that's not me,
I'm not rich,
I'm not in that category,
consider this.
More than a billion people
live on less than a dollar a day.
Almost two billion others
live on less than two dollars a day.
Nearly half the world's population
are struggling to have adequate food,
water,
and shelter.
Most people live and die in poverty.
In the eyes of the world,
we are Mr. and Mrs. Rich.
And living here in Ireland
means we're actually in the top 20%
of the world's most well-off.
Second, we're introduced to the poor man.
Verse 20.
At his gate,
this great mansion,
with a gate to keep certain people out,
was laid a beggar named Lazarus,
covered with sores,
and longing to eat
what fell from the rich man's table,
the scraps.
Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
He's a neglected,
malnourished,
homeless beggar.
Today, we might think of him
as being one of those two billion
who live on less than a couple dollars a day.
His family,
more than likely,
live beside a disease-ridden open sewer.
He rummages through the city dump,
hoping to find someone's scraps.
No access to clean running water.
No toilet.
No access to medicine or a doctor.
The contrast between these two characters
couldn't be greater.
One lives in luxury,
the other in great poverty.
One dressed in fine clothes,
the other dressed in sores.
who are the rich
of the world today,
and who are the poor.
But this is a story
so much more than just physical
or material wealth.
You see,
while the world longs to be materially rich
and chase after money,
we are to strive
to be spiritually poor.
Mike McKinley,
one author,
puts it like this.
A person's economic condition
has the potential
to help or hinder them
when it comes to having
the spiritual characteristics
that God values
and rewards.
Let me read that again.
It's important.
A person's economic condition
has the potential
to help or hinder them
when it comes to having
the spiritual characteristics
that God values
and rewards.
Let me explain that.
So, if you are materially rich,
it's much harder
to see your spiritual need.
Because if you are rich
and wealthy,
well, you're self-sufficient.
You're independent.
You don't need anybody's help.
You can do it alone.
But if you're materially poor,
then it is much easier
to see your spiritual need
because you are others reliant.
Your economic condition
means that you are dependent.
You desperately need
the help of somebody else
to intervene.
Now, think about
the spiritual characteristics
we should have
when coming to God.
We are to come
like the poor,
desperate,
in need,
longing for help,
begging for mercy.
We are to come
like the lost son
back in chapter 15.
Have a look back there
to chapter 15.
Again, another well-known story
about the lost son
and the elder brother.
Let's pick it up
in verse 17.
Here we have an example
of what it is to come,
begging for mercy,
desperate for help.
Verse 17,
so the son,
when he had spent everything
that he had had
and he had nothing left,
when he came to his senses,
he said,
how many of my father's
hired servants
have food to spare
and here I am
starving to death.
I will set out
and go back to my father
and say to him,
Father,
I have sinned
against heaven
and against you.
I am no longer worthy
to be called your son.
Make me like one
of your hired servants.
So he got up
and went to his father.
You see,
that's the condition
we are to go to God.
We are to go
as hopeless,
helpless,
dependent,
completely reliant
on God's grace
to be spiritually poor,
longing for God's intervention.
There is no place,
there is no room
for self-righteous,
arrogant,
hard-hearted attitudes
when coming to God.
So as we read
through this story,
who are you
in the story?
Are you the rich
or are you the poor?
Are you somebody
who seeks material wealth
or are you striving
for spiritual poverty?
Second,
there are two ways
to live.
The two men die,
don't they?
The rich man
goes to Hades,
we'll come back
to that in a minute,
and the poor man
goes to heaven.
Now,
again,
we need to be clear
about this.
It's not their economic status
that determines
their fate.
It's not because
one has more money
that he ends up
in one place
and one has less
that he ends up
in another.
It's not that at all.
The Bible is much broader
than that to say
that those who
are rich
do go to heaven
and some who are
materially poor
don't.
It boils down to
how we live
in this life.
That's what will
determine
our fate.
And there's two ways
we can live.
First,
there's the way
of faith.
Look at verse 22.
The time came
when the beggar died
and the angels
carried him
to Abraham's side.
Again,
we're going to get
back to what
that means,
but for now
I want us to see
that Lazarus
was a man
who lived
by faith.
Lazarus
means
the one
God
helps.
That's what
his name means,
the one
God helps.
Lazarus
knows he's
in desperate
need.
He's a man
in poverty
and in response
God helps.
And even
though he's
lived in poverty,
even though
he dies
in poverty,
he never
turns away
from God.
There's nothing
in this story
that tells us
that he curses
God and
is giving off
and he's bitter
and angry
about his life.
No,
it seems
that Abraham
was a man
of faith.
You see,
true faith
is not determined
by what I have
and what I can get.
This kind of
attitude that says,
oh,
I'll believe
if you get me
a better job.
Or I'll follow
you,
Lord,
if you can make
me more
financially stable.
True faith
always says,
God is enough.
God is sufficient.
Even when I have
nothing,
even if I should
lose my job,
even if I can't
afford the mortgage
this week,
even if I should
end up sick,
true faith
will always say,
God is enough.
God is sufficient.
I will trust
him.
And Abraham
is a man
who has said,
God is
enough.
So there's
the way of faith
and then we have
second,
the way of self.
In contrast,
the rich man,
it seems,
lives by his
own resources.
He lived
by his means
and he is
trusted in
his means.
He shows
no
genuine
desire
to repent.
Look at
verse 24.
So he's
in Hades,
he's looking
up,
he sees
Abraham
and Lazarus
by his
side,
verse 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 coo
my tongue
because I
am in
agony
in this
fire.
verse 27,
he begs
the Father,
send Lazarus
to my
family.
Now,
how arrogant
is that?
The rich man
is still
thinking about
himself.
He's been
judged for
how he's
living or
how he has
lived,
but he still
can't see
the mistakes
he's made.
Rather than
show any
kind of
remorse,
he's too
busy expecting
people to
come and
serve him.
Abraham,
why don't
you go and
tell Lazarus
to come
down here
and give
me a
bit of
water?
Abraham,
tell Lazarus
to go and
tell and
warn my
brothers.
He's still
dishing out
orders as
if Lazarus,
the poor
man,
somehow owed
him a
favour.
It's so
tragic.
He's being
judged,
unabashed,
and he
still can't
see it.
Rather than
see how he
has lived
all his
life,
and repent
if that
were still
possible,
he is so
self-absorbed
with his
own needs.
There is
no genuine
desire to
repent.
And
second,
he has no
practical love
for the
poor.
Look at
verse 25.
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.
The rich
man was so
blessed during
his lifetime,
but yet he
gave nothing
to relieve the
suffering of
Lazarus.
Every day he
would have
driven out of
his gates in
his flashy
car.
Every day he
ignored the
beggar as he
renovated and
redecorated his
gated mansion,
and laid on
his lavish
parties.
He did
absolutely
nothing with
the resources
at his
exposure.
He lived
as if the
beggar never
even existed.
In fact,
the dogs
showed more
compassion to
Lazarus as
they came and
licked his
sores.
The rich
man has
lived a
self-absorbed
life,
thinking only
of himself.
You see,
true faith
has this
genuine desire
to repent
and give
practical help
to the
poor.
So if I'm
saying,
oh yes,
I'm a
person of
true faith,
well,
true faith
prays this
kind of
prayer.
Lord,
forgive me
for my
selfish greed.
Have you
ever thought
of ourselves
as being
greedy?
I'm sorry
for ignoring
those in
desperate need.
Forgive me
for wasting
my money
on things
I don't
need and
stuffing my
life with
things I
will never
use while
countless
millions
starve and
die.
Lord,
change my
heart from
a greedy
hoarder
to a
generous
giver.
James,
who wrote
one of the
letters in
the Bible,
put it
this way,
religion
that God
our Father
accepts as
pure and
faultless is
this,
to look
after orphans
and widows
in their
distress.
You see,
the orphan
and the
widow were
categories for
those who
are most
vulnerable
and most
poor,
those who
have nothing,
those who
can do
nothing for
themselves.
So true
religion,
true faith
is expressed
in giving
to the
750 million
who do
not have
access to
clean water.
Think of
that every
time you
turn on
your tap
to wash
your teeth.
True faith
is expressed
in helping
the 24,000
children who
will die
this very
day because
they don't
have enough
food.
And if
we're finding
it hard to
kind of get
our head
around these
figures,
to put
that into
perspective,
thus the
total population
of our
nation's
children wiped
out in just
over a
month because
they don't
have enough
food.
Think of
that as
we stuff
our face
on Christmas
Day.
Stephen
Um,
who is a
pastor and
author,
puts it
like this,
children of
this world,
as in those
who live
for self,
ruthlessly
manage their
resources to
secure their
future.
Children of
God, those
who live by
faith,
graciously manage
their resources
because their
future is
already secure.
power.
So how do
you live?
Who are you
in this
story?
Do you
live for
self?
Or are we
people who
live by
faith?
So there
are two
kinds of
people,
two ways
to live,
and two
eternal
destinies.
Well, what
happens to
every person
happens to
them.
The time
came when
they died.
Rich or
poor,
plenty or
in want,
we will
all die.
and how
we have
lived our
life on
this earth
will determine
our eternal
destiny.
The two
destinies
are spelled
out for us.
The first,
those who
are spiritually
poor,
those who
know they
desperately need
God's
intervention and
help,
those who
live by
faith can
look forward
to eternal
pleasures.
Look at
verse 22.
The time
came when
the beggar
died and
the angels
carried him
to Abraham's
side.
Abraham,
of course,
was the
great father
figure of
God's
children,
the man
of faith.
And so
to be at
Abraham's
side is
really in
a sense a
picture of
saying this
person,
Lazarus,
is now in
the presence
of God.
And he
now receives
a rich
welcome
into God's
heaven.
A place
of unceasing
joy and
eternal
pleasures.
Everything
that Lazarus
had experienced
in life
has now been
completely
switched and
reversed.
Again, look
at verse 25.
Abraham replied,
Son, remember
that in your
lifetime you
received your
good things
while Lazarus
received bad
things.
but now
Lazarus is
comforted
here and
you are in
agony.
He's gone
from a
lifetime of
agony to
an eternity
of comfort.
Remember how
the psalmist
put it.
We read this
at the very
beginning
this morning.
Psalm 16
verse 11,
you made
known to
me the
path of
life.
You fill
me with
joy in
your presence,
with eternal
pleasures
at your
right hand.
That is the
wonderful
destiny
of those
who are
spiritually
poor and
those who
live by
faith.
but there
is another
destiny that
is spelled
out.
For those
who live
for material
wealth,
for those
who live
for self,
will experience
eternal
suffering.
Look at
the second
part of
verse 22.
The rich
man also
died and
was buried.
in
Hades
where he
was in
torment.
Hades
simply means
the realm
of the
dead.
In other
words,
he's talking
here about
hell.
And while
we don't
know everything
about hell,
just as we
don't know
what everything
is going to
be like in
heaven,
there are
three things
here I think
in this
text that
tell us
what we
can be
sure of
about hell.
First,
hell is a
conscious
reality.
It's a
conscious
reality,
verse 24.
Do you
see what he
cries out?
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.
many people
think that
when we
die,
that's it,
we just
die.
It's an
eternal
unconsciousness.
There's no
more feeling
or anything
else.
Believers,
yes,
they live for
eternity,
but those
who do not
believe,
they just
die and
it just
finishes.
But that's
not true.
The rich
man is in
hell and
he can feel
his senses
are working
and he
longs for
relief.
It's a
conscious
reality.
second,
it is
unending
suffering.
The rich
man twice
describes where
he is as
torment
and agony.
Look at the
end of verse
28.
He's
pleading,
he says,
so that they
will not
come to
this place
of torment.
It's a
place of
unending
suffering.
Now,
it's hard
for us
to imagine
what that
would actually
be like.
But we
can be
sure it
is the
absence of
peace and
rest and
contentment.
No
kindness,
no
compassion,
no
mercy.
An
endless
cycle of
doing wrong
and
punishment
and
doing
wrong
and
punishment
and
doing
wrong
and
punishment
and
no
end.
On and
on it
goes.
Year
after year.
It's
life
without
God.
Which
shows us
the third
picture.
it is
eternal
separation.
Verse 26.
He says,
besides all
of 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
and those
who want
to cross
over from
there to
us
can't.
Hell
is
separate
from
heaven.
There's
no point
in trying
to think
that somehow
through the
course of
eternity
they're
somehow
going to
merge.
They're
not.
People
who are
in hell
will be
in hell.
People
who are
in heaven
will be
in heaven.
It's
separation
from God.
And
separation
from God
is separation
from all
that is
good and
beautiful
for all
eternity.
imagine
an
eternity
without
the
good
gifts
of
God.
Laughter,
creativity,
joy,
happiness,
love,
peace,
and friendship
and comfort.
Imagine
an
eternity
without
any
justice
or
forgiveness.
happiness.
It's
what we
all
deserve
because
we are
all rich
and we've
all been
greedy
and we've
all wasted
the resources
that God
has given
while
countless
millions
starve
and die
every
single
day.
You see,
Jesus has
already told
us about
these
destinies.
Have a
look back
at
chapter
6.
Luke
chapter
6
verse
20.
Luke
20.
Luke
6
verse
20.
Jesus
looking at
his
disciples
said,
blessed
are you
who are
poor
and the
context
here is
those who
are
spiritually
poor,
those who
come with
empty hands
pleading and
knowing their
needing of
mercy and
grace.
Blessed
are you
who are
poor for
yours is
the kingdom
of God.
Blessed
are you
who hunger
now for
you will
be satisfied.
Blessed
are you
who weep
now for
you will
laugh.
Verse
24.
But woe
to you
who are
rich.
Woe
to you
who live
the way
of self.
For
you have
already
received
your
comfort.
Woe
to you
who are
well fed
now for
you will
go hungry
and woe
to you
who laugh
now for
you will
mourn
and weep.
hell is
eternal
suffering
but
heaven
is
eternal
pleasures.
Who
are we
in the
story?
What
is your
destiny?
What
is my
destiny?
destiny.
The next
heading I
changed so
it should
read
secure
future.
Secure
future.
As we
think about
these two
eternal
destinies
we
mustn't
think that
God is
somehow
unfair.
That
somehow
well
God is
not told
me and
God never
warned me
and if
I knew
that life
would end
up like
this then
I would
have done
something
about it.
If God
wanted me
to believe
if God
wanted me
to change
how I
thought about
my money
and the
resources
that I
have
well then
he would
have done
some
miracle
and I
would have
changed
my attitude.
Well
God is
not
unfair.
God
has been
crystal
clear.
look at
verse 27
he
answered
the rich
man
answered
then I
beg you
father
send
Lazarus
to my
family
for I
have
five
brothers
let him
warn
them
so that
they
will not
also
come to
this
place
of
torment.
Look
if I
had
known
how
my
life
was
going
to
end
then
I
could
have
done
something
about
it
so
why
don't
you
go
and
tell
my
brother
so
that
they
don't
end
up
in
the
same
way
verse 29
Abraham
replied
they
have
Moses
and
the
prophets
let
them
listen
to
them
the
point
is
the
rich
man
had
the
same
message
too
he
had
the
same
scriptures
the
message
of
the
Moses
and
the
prophets
that
was
the
Old
Testament
it
is
not
that
no
one
told
him
it
is
that
he
just
never
listened
verse
30
no
father
Abraham
the
message
of the
scriptures
aren't
enough
but
if
someone
from
the
dead
goes
to
them
they
will
repent
then
they'll
change
their
lives
why
don't
you
do
a
miracle
just
make
somebody
rise
from
the
dead
then
they'll
certainly
change
their
ways
and
they'll
certainly
believe
verse
31
he said
to
them
if
they
do
not
listen
to
Moses
and
the
prophets
they
will
not
be
convinced
even
if
someone
rises
from
the
dead
now
don't
we
have
the
message
of
the
Bible
before
us
is
not
what
we're
holding
in
our
hands
right
now
and
didn't
someone
rise
from
the
dead
you
see
God
has
not
left
us
without
excuse
remember
where we
are in
Luke's
account of
the
gospel
as we've
been working
our way
through
remember
that
turning
point
in
Luke
chapter
9
Jesus
says
I'm
on my
way
to
Jerusalem
is going
to be
the
place
of
execution
in
Jerusalem
Jesus
is
going
to
die
Jesus
is
going
to
the
cross
these
are the
sorts
of
things
Jesus
is
teaching
with
urgency
as he
makes
his way
to the
cross
and
after
Jesus
dies
on the
cross
I want
us to
look at
these
extraordinary
words
that
Jesus
speaks
go to
Luke
chapter
24
just a
few
pages
on
Luke
chapter
24
verse
25
so all
the while
Jesus is
saying I'm
going to
the cross
I'm going
to die
and then
when we
get to
Luke
24
we've
already
read at
this
stage
that
Jesus
has
died
and now
he is
risen
again
and now
he speaks
to his
disciples
verse 25
he said
to them
how foolish
you are
and how
slow to
believe
all that
the prophets
have spoken
did not
the Messiah
have to
suffer these
things and
then enter
his glory
and beginning
with Moses
and all the
prophets
he explained
to them
what was
said in
all the
scriptures
concerning
himself
so Jesus
takes them
through the
big story
of the
Bible
and says
listen
guys
it's all
about me
if you
read your
Bibles
carefully
it's all
about my
death
and it's
all about
my
resurrection
because when
I suffered
for you
on the
cross
I suffered
for you
and I
died
for you
the reason
why I
went to
the cross
was that
I would
die in
place of
the rich
man
so that
you might
enjoy the
eternal
pleasures
of the
poor
man
the reason
I came
for you
is that
I would
suffer
hell
for you
so that
you would
never have
to suffer
hell
so that
you could
enjoy the
eternal
pleasures
of heaven
forever
and forever
Jesus came
to take
the blame
for all
of my
greedy
hoarding
and the
tight fist
that we
have around
all our
resources
and in
his mercy
and in
his grace
has given
me the
riches
of his
righteousness
that's
the message
of the
scriptures
are we
listening
to what
they say
and in
case we
don't quite
believe that
that's true
Jesus did
rise from
the dead
God has
given us
the ultimate
sign
the greatest
miracle
an empty
grave
so that
we can
believe
he defeated
death
so that
all who
live by
faith
all who
are
spiritually
poor
and come
with their
hands
open
longing
to be
filled
can receive
forgiveness
and will
receive that
rich
welcome
in God's
eternal
kingdom
this is the
grace and
mercy
of an
amazing
God
who does
not treat
us as we
deserve to
be treated
the test
that we
have listened
to the
scriptures
the evidence
that we
have believed
the resurrection
is that we
are people
who give
generously to
those in
desperate
need
you see
how we use
our money
reveals the
kind of
person we
truly are
a person
of faith
or a
person of
self
how we
use our
money
determines
our
eternal
destiny
who are
you in
the story
who do
you want
to be
in the
story
where God
has made
it possible
for us
to be
like
Lazarus
we come
with our
spiritual
poverty
we come
in repentance
we say
sorry for
our greed
and we
receive
the eternal
pleasures
that he
gives to
us
what an
incredible
gracious
and merciful
God we
have
he has
secured our
future
so that we
can give
generously
today
let's pray
together
thank
finally
who
need
to be
through
competition
how to
for
your
fine
life