Rev. David Holwick I
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
March 13, 1994
Luke 16:19-31
|
I. What will happen to you when you die?
A. Most think about it as little as possible.
B. Ancient world dreaded death.
1) People believed in life after death, but it was not
something to look forward to.
2) Achilles said, "I would rather be the slave of a landless
man than dead."
3) Even the Old Testament says it is better to be a live dog
than a dead lion!
C. Jesus makes eternal life something to long for.
1) "The Christian longs for the life of heaven not chiefly as
compensation for what he lacks now, but as fulfillment
of what he already possesses." #299
2) Jesus' parable of Rich Man and Poor Lazarus develops an
ancient story - with a twist.
II. Death as the great equalizer.
A. Stark story of suffering beggar and pampered wealthy man.
1) At death, their positions reverse.
2) Basis of the reversal: wealth, or lack of it?
B. Their social standing reveals their true moral character.
1) The poor are portrayed by Luke as those who trust in God.
2) The rich man seems to be unconcerned about poor Lazarus,
though he was just outside the gate.
3) Even in Hades, he expects to be waited on by Lazarus! 16:24
C. Your priorities now show your true spiritual commitment.
1) Many "religious" people lack genuine compassion, or
concern for souls. God is not fooled.
2) The way we live now has consequences.
a) Don't trade temporary pleasure for eternal damnation.
D. God's answer for injustice.
1) Our world is filled with injustices.
a) The greedy thrive, while the sincere suffer.
1> Does this prove God is not there?
2> Without God, there is no recourse!
b) Only on Judgment Day can true justice prevail.
2) Cartoon by Tom Toles called "Olympic Wrap-up":
Tonya Harding gets to go to Olympics, skate lace breaks
minutes before final performance, no medal.
Nancy Kerrigan, recovered from a vicious attack, gives great
performance, wins gold....
But wait!
Oksana Baiul, who's had it toughest of all, also gives clutch
performance, in spite of an injury.
SHE gets the gold. Nancy gets the silver.
Who says God never follows sporting events.
(... just not the Superbowl!)
III. Eternal alternatives.
A. Where we go after death.
1) Situation of parable not perfectly clear, but they seem to
be in the intermediate state, prior to Judgment Day.
a) Hades (lit.) is a temporary holding area.
b) "Abraham's bosom" is not same as heaven, but similar.
2) Long term, the Bible speaks of two places, heaven and hell.
a) One is place of happiness and fellowship with God and
loved ones.
b) Other is place of torment and utter loneliness.
3) Heaven is more popular.
a) Common to believe all nice people go to heaven.
b) Hell is ignored, denied, or made so trivial as to not
exist.
B. Why hell?
1) Hell is no joke.
Jerome Butler is a convicted killer who robbed and shot to
death a Houston taxi driver in 1986.
He was scheduled to be executed in 1989 at the Texas State
Penitentiary in Huntsville.
Butler told one of his death row companions,
"I'll wait for you in Hell!"
His flippant attitude suggests he doesn't really believe in
hell.
Why should we?
#1218
2) Jesus clearly taught about the reality of hell.
a) He held that only two destinies are available to us.
b) He consistently describes hell as a place of torment.
1> The language may be stylized, but is consistent.
c) Even those verses that seem to indicate God will save
everyone, show in context that He will not.
1> He desires our salvation but will not force it.
2> Many will choose the broad easy path downward.
3) Love requires free choice.
a) People must be free to reject God.
1> Anyone will convert from fear. God wants love.
2> Hell is being separated from God.
A> It is a loneliness we choose now. 2 Thess 1:9
B> Heaven would be misery for those who reject God.
b) Is this a defeat for God?
C.S. Lewis says -
"What you call defeat, I call miracle: for to ...
be capable of being resisted by his own handiwork,
is the most astounding and unimaginable of all the feats
we attribute to God."
#307
IV. No crossing over.
A. There is no second chance.
1) Rich man requests for help for himself.
a) None can be given.
2) Spiritual decisions can only be made in this life. Heb 9:27
a) No second chance after death.
b) No reincarnation to try better next time, or the next...
B. No crossing over after death, or before.
1) Rich man suggests a ghost for his brothers.
a) A note of self-justification?
b) "With a little more light, I might have changed."
2) People crave supernatural experiences, but they often don't
change us. Just a false sense of security.
V. What would it take to convince you?
A. The Bible is sufficient.
1) It gives a clear answer to our spiritual condition.
a) We are sinners.
b) Because of our sin, we suffer and fall short in life.
c) Jesus came to redeem us.
d) We must choose him in faith.
2) Even a resurrection won't convince hardened people.
B. Today is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6:2
Three years ago the Persian Gulf War ended.
At the Billy Graham crusade in Seattle, a woman named Shirley
Lansing gave a testimony that was deeply moving.
She told the crowd, "I come with a story about my son, John
Kendall Morgan.
He was a Warrant Officer in the United States Army, serving in
Operation Desert Storm."
Shirley told the crowd that her son, Jack, had committed his
life to Jesus at an early age.
"At that time," she said, "it didn't seem terribly important,
but it was."
"A few weeks ago, two officers came to our door and told us they
regretted to inform us that our son had been killed in action.
His helicopter had been shot down by hostile Iraqi fire."
"When Jack got on the airplane to leave for Saudi Arabia," his
mother recalled, "he gave Lisa, his fiancee, a bride's book.
They were planning their wedding."
Perhaps the most moving moment of Shirley's testimony came when
she said,
"I speak to you only from my heart, and out of my pain, because
only God can give me the strength to stand here before you and
say these words.
But they're so important.
Each of you has the decision to make that my son made.
And this is the time when you have a choice, because we never
know how long we'll have to make that decision."
Three weeks before John Morgan was killed in action, half a world
from home, he wrote two letters to his family, "just in case."
Shirley and her family gathered together and read the letters
after they received the word that their son had been killed.
John's words reassured his family.
John ended his letter with these words,
"In case you have to open this, please don't worry.
I am all right...
Now I know something you don't know -- what heaven's like!"
#2616
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
Created with the Freeware Edition of HelpNDoc: Free HTML Help documentation generator