Luke 16:19-31
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
Intro: Today represents crossroads in the life of some people in this room.
You have been afforded an opportunity to gather in the House of the Lord
to hear His Word. If you respond to His Word as His Spirit leads you, then
this day can be the beginning of a brand new life. For instance, if you are
lost this morning, you can be saved. If that happens, then not one single
day of your life up to this point will matter! You will get a brand new start
with the Lord.
Our passage this morning is a familiar one. It concerns a rich man and
a poor man. The rich man was lost and when he died, he went to Hell. The
poor man was a believer and when he died, he was taken to Paradise. This
account drives home the truth that there are only two possible destinations
available for man when he leaves this world.
Now, not everyone believes that! The atheist denies the existence of a
literal Heaven and Hell. The Jehovah's Witness believes that the grave is
Hell. The Mormon believes in Hell, but he believes that in the end, everyone
will be saved, including those in Hell. The Seventh-Day Adventist believes
that lost men go to Hell, but that they immediately burn up like so much
broom sage. Besides these, there are a myriad of other beliefs which go all
over the map when it comes to eternity. Therefore, most religions and cults
approach this passage as if it were nothing more than a parable. Just a sad
story told to teach a powerful truth. However, the Word of God is crystal
clear! This is no parable! This is a bold, clear warning for people to turn
from their sins and be saved. You see, there is a Hell for the lost person
and there is a Heaven for the saved person! Which place you go when you
die is determined by what you do with Jesus Christ while you are in this
world!
This passage is one of contrasts. A picture is painted here of some of
the differences between a lost man and a saved man. There are three
primary areas where these contrasts are plainly visible. By God's grace, I
want to point those areas out today. You see, all the days from your birth
to now make no difference, all that matters is what happens From Here To
Eternity.
I. V. 19-21 A CONTRAST IN THEIR EARTHLY EXPERIENCE
A. One Man Lived A Bountiful Life - These verses tell us that the rich
man enjoyed the best that life had to offer. He lived for himself, with
no thought for the needs of his fellow man. He was his own man,
just enjoying life to the full. It appears that he was living for the now,
with no thought for the future at all. Even after his death he was still
self-centered, v. 24. He cared only for himself and not one of the
millions who were there with him! (Note: There is nothing wrong
with having money and material things. Just being rich does not
automatically condemn a person to Hell. But, Jesus did indicate that
a life lived in dependence on material riches will end in Hell - Matt. 19:16-26.) (Note: This rich man is a picture of a person who cares
only for himself. He does not care about God or His Word. If he
had, he would have ministered to Lazarus, Pr. 14:21; 31. He lived
a good life, but it was a lost life!) (Note: Do not begrudge the lost
their earthly pleasures and treasures! This is the only Heaven they
will know! We should rather pity them because while they trust in
their riches and the things that this world has to offer, they are
steadily marching headlong into Hell.)
B. One Man Lived A Burdened Life - While the rich man prospered,
Lazarus suffered daily. He did not have the riches of the world. He
could not afford medical treatment for his ailments. He could not
afford food to eat. His only friends appeared to be the dogs which
came and licked his sores. His was a wretched existence made
bearable only by the knowledge that this world was not his home!
(Note: Here, Lazarus is a picture of the believer. While the lost men
of this world live it up and indulge every lust of the flesh, the
redeemed make a conscious decision to separate themselves from
this world. They carry within their heart burdens for the very souls
of the men around them that are perishing. Surely, none of us have
or probably ever will suffer as much as Lazarus did in this life, but if
we are living as we should before the Lord, our lives would appear
to be burdensome to those who do not know the Lord.) (Note: I am
not implying that we have it rough! If you listen to some Christians,
you would think God had died and they were the most miserable
people alive. In contrast, I say that we are blessed above all men!
However, when you get saved, your priorities will change! Your
goals and aspirations will change! You will live a life that is markedly
different from the lost folk around you! That is because you are a
New Creature - 2 Cor. 5:17!)
II. V. 22 A CONTRAST IN THEIR EXIT EXPERIENCE
A. One Man's Death Was Alone - We are told that when time ran out
for the rich man, death came to claim him. His money, his friends
and his family could not go with him through that awful experience.
His time of living it up was ended and he died and was buried. And,
if things held true to form, his family immediately began the process
of taking everything he had left behind for themselves! (Note: I can
imagine living without God, because I have done it! I would never
want to do it again, but I have been there. I can understand why
people live for their flesh. However, I cannot imagine having to die
alone! No God, no grace, no hope! Just utterly, eternally alone!
Yet, that is the experience of every person who lives and dies
without Jesus. We refer to a "death angel", but there is no such
thing in the Bible! We hear talk of the "Grim Reaper", he doesn't
exist either! When a lost man dies, "the devil" doesn't get his soul
either! That is superstitious nonsense! The devil is headed to the
same Hell; that the lost man is headed to. The only difference is that
the devil is afraid, whereas the lost man could care less, James
2:19. No, when death comes to claim the lost man, he dies
absolutely alone, cut off from the living and the dead, with nothing
before him but and endless eternity to experience the undiluted
wrath of God!)
B. One Man's Death Was Attended - In contrast, when Lazarus died,
his death was attended by some angels. They received him and
took him to dwell in Paradise. He did not die alone, but he died in
the presence of God. No one may have cared for him in this word,
but God was keenly interested in him and when he died, God
dispatched angels to conduct him into a place of eternal rest! (Note:
The saint doesn't die alone! (Ill. Psa. 116:15; Pro. 14:32; Rom.
14:8; Phil. 1:21; Psa. 23:4) He may be parted from a season from
the living, but goes to be with the One Who redeemed him from his
sins, 2 Cor. 5:8! (Ill. The Thief on the cross - Luke 23:43.)
III. V. 23-31 A CONTRAST IN THEIR ETERNAL EXPERIENCE
A. One Man Found Pain - The Bible tells us that the rich man went to
Hell when he died! From all we know about that place, it is far more
horrible that we could ever imagine. Notice just a few of the things
the Bible says about Hell:
1. A Place Of Punishment - Matt. 25:41
2. Unquenchable Fire - Mark 9:43; Luke 16:24
3. Memory And Remorse - Luke 16:25 (Ill. He wanted his brothers
spared too - Luke 16:27-31. He experienced regret too!)
4. Thirst - v.24-25
5. Misery And Pain - Luke 16:24,25,28; Rev.14:10-11
6. A Place Of Undiluted Wrath - (Ill. Jesus, rainbow, Hab. 3:2)
(There will be absolutely no mercy!)
7. A Place Of Frustration And Anger - Mt.13:42; 24:51
8. A Place Of Eternal Separation From God - 2 Thes. 1:8-9
9. A Place Of Eternal Separation Form All That Is Good And
Right - Rev. 21:8
(Note: many people believe that all these truths concerning Hell are
just symbolic! You had better hope not! That which is real is always
beyond the power of the symbol to convey! If the truth about Hell is
worse than what I have shared this morning, then it is awful beyond
description. Even though what the Bible says about that place is
true and accurate, we need to know that our ability to explain it,
understand it and imagine it all fall far short of what Hell really is!
Friend, if you are lost this morning, I beg you please don't go there!
Be saved and turn to Jesus before it is too late!)
B. One Man Found Peace - While the rich man suffered, Lazarus was
a rest! He had ceased from his burdens and he free from his
diseases. He was finally at peace. (Note: Just as surely as Hell
awaits the lost person, Heaven awaits the saved person! And
everything that Hell is, Heaven isn't. It is a place free from the cares
of this world and from the pain of that world, Rev. 21:4. It is a place
of incomparable beauty, Rev. 21-22. It is the place where God
Himself dwells, and where His people will see His face, Rev. 21:3;
22:4. It is a place where sin, sinners and Satan are forever
banished, Rev. 21:27. It is a glorious city prepared especially for
those who know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior - John
14:1-6. It is a place the redeemed long to be. It is the place we call
home, Phil. 3:20!)
Conc: What a difference in the experiences of these two men! Of course,
these two men are still represented within the human race this morning!
The self-centered rich man is here, still headed for Hell. The saint of God
is still here too, headed for Heaven. Which represents you today?
Friend, this is no game we are playing! This thing is definitely real! You
will spend eternity in one of the two places I mentioned today. You will go
either to Heaven, or you will go to Hell! Which depends on what you do with
Jesus Christ, 1 John 5:12. If you are not saved, remember that nothing is
worth going to Hell over, Mark 9:43-48; Mark 8:36-37. Jesus Christ died on
the cross to save you from your sins. If you want to be saved, you can
come to Him today, trust Him as your Savior and He will save your soul! I
pray that you will do just that!
If you are saved, then I challenge you to come before the Lord to praise
Him for your salvation. When you finish thanking Him, then take the time to
pray for your family and your acquaintances that are lost. Get a hold of God
for them and pray that they will be saved! Time is running out and death is
stalking every person in this world. The time for salvation is now, 2 Cor.
6:2.
