Luke 16:19-31

Lazarus and the Poor Man: 4 Things the Rich Man Gained in Hell

That We Need to Gain Today

2-3-13 AM

a day of statistics:

Over 112,000,000 will watch the game on TV.

The average advertiser will spend $4,000,000.00 on a thirty second commercial time.

1,250,000,000 chicken wings will be consumed.

49,300,000 beverages will be imbibed.

7,000,000 will miss work Monday (mostly hangovers).

one statistic that

will likely go unnoticed:

Before today is over, it is estimated that 6,815 people

will have died in America alone.

one statistic that

will like go unnoticed:

If they are not here, with us…

Where are they?

Better question: Where will I be after

this life is over?

Hell: a forgotten doctrine

Did you know that the Bible talks more about Hell than it does about

Heaven.

Did you know that Jesus preached more about Hell's destruction

than he did Heaven’s rewards?

Our text for today is just a small part of His teachings on the subject.

God and mammon

As you’ll remember, we Jesus said needed to be shrewd in seeking

and keeping the Lord’s Gift of Salvation, as the world often is in

regard to seeking and keeping its “mammon,” (Lk. 16:8).

And he summed it all up by saying; "No servant can serve two masters;

for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will

hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and

mammon." (Lk.16:13).

Luke 16:20-31

“Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in

purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a

certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered

with sores, and longing to be fed with the {crumbs} which were

falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were

coming and licking his sores.

Luke 16:20-31

Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried

away by the angels to Abraham's Bosom; and the rich man also

died and was buried.

And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw

Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. "And he cried out

and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus,

that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my

tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.'

Luke 16:20-31

But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life

you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things;

but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.

'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm

fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to

you may not be able, and {that} none may cross over from

there to us.'

Luke 16:20-31

And he said, 'Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my

father's house--

for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, lest they

also come to this place of torment.'

But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them

hear them.'

But he said, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to

them from the dead, they will repent!'

Luke 16:20-31

But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and

the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone

rises from the dead.”

two men, two lives,

two destinies.

Luke 16:22, 25 says– Lazarus may have been poor in this life,

but when he died he “was carried away by the angels to

Abraham's Bosom” [where] he experienced “comfort ” and

peace forever.

That makes him the “Rich” man in my book.

two men, two lives,

two destinies.

The so-called “rich man” found himself “in torment” (vrs. 23),

Separated from all possible relief (vrs 26).

Crying out for mercy, [and] begging that Abraham send

Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off

my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.' (vrs. 24).

You can’t hardly call that man “rich,” can you?

In hell

I can’t prove this, but I suspect one of the greatest pains in

Hell, will be the knowledge that no one, not ourselves, not

our family, no one EVER needed to be there… and of course

it will ALL be too late to change anything.

4 Things that I Believe the Rich man gained in

Hell, that every Christian needs to

gain TODAY

1) VISION

2) TEARS

3) REASON

4) REMEMBRANCE

vision

Luke 16:23 - "And in Hades [the man who had been rich on earth] lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Can you see what he saw?

Can you envision a day of eternal punishment and eternal reward?

vision

Matt 6:19-21 - "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures

upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break

in and steal.

"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, neither

moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or

steal;

for where your treasure is, there will your heart be

also.

How much better to see this today, than in HELL.

tears (of humility and sorrow)

Luke 16:24 – “And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have

mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his

finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this

flame.”

How much better to SORROW for sin Today, while we may

repent, then in Hell where there will be NO

REPENTANCE available.

2 Cor. 7:91-0

I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you

were made sorrowful to {the point of} repentance; for you

were made sorrowful according to {the will of} God, in order

that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.

10 For the sorrow that is according to {the will of} God

produces a repentance without regret, {leading} to

salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces [only] death.

reason (to obey God & live faithfully)

In vrs. 25, Father Abraham appeals to basic logic when it comes

to Heaven and Hell…God makes it all right.

Luke 16:25 – “But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during

your life you received your good things, and likewise

Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and

you are in agony.”

It’s about Justice.

let’s be reasonable

1 Jn. 1:8-10 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving

ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we (are honest to) confess our sins, He is faithful and

righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness.

10 If we (continue to) say that we have not sinned, we make

Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

let’s be reasonable

Heaven is the eternal home of forgiven sinners.

Hell is the eternal home of those who have not sought God’s

forgiveness, and who will die in their sins.

Use your BRAIN! Will you win or lose Heaven?

remembrance

After the Game (of life)…

*If the Lord tarries long enough, SOME

of the people we may watch the

game with today, SOME of the very

folks whom we love,

SOME of the people we call family,

won’t go to Heaven.

Not in their present condition. Doesn’t that

concern you?

remembrance

Luke 16:27-31

27 “And he said, ‘Please Father Abraham, I’m begging you,

Please send Lazarus to my father's house--

28 … I have five brothers -- somebody needs to warn them,

lest they also come to this place of torment.’

29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let

them hear them.’

remembrance

Luke 16:27-31

30 But he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, (THEY AREN’T LIKELY TO HEAR THOSE MEN), but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’

31 But he said to him, ‘If they Won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded EVEN if someone DOES rise from the dead.’”

You get the message.

listen carefully

This isn’t saying GIVE-UP. It is saying KEEP TRYING.

remember?

1 Cor. 10:1-5 - A lot of people STARTED the Exodus… Nevertheless, they were laid low in the wilderness. Remember Why?

Eph. 2:11-22 - Remember when you were LOST? Remember when you were called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision." Remember your condition at that time?

Luke 17:32 - Jesus speaking of the end times told the people -"Remember Lot's wife.

Rev 2:5 - Jesus told the church at Ephesus - 'Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first.”

A memory is great thing when it is filled with JOY.

4 Things The Rich Man

Gained in Hell

• A VISION of mankind’s destiny

• TEARS of humility over sin.

• REASON to act reasonably in light of the facts.

• REMEMBRANCE of whom and what is at stake.