Jump Start # 1699

Luke 16:22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.”

This week we have been looking at the topic of angels. Folks have a fascination with angels. You find collectable angels in china cabinets. You find sculpted angels in cemeteries. There are a lot of ideas and theories about angels. Many of them are not founded upon what the Bible teaches. When angels visited Abraham, he didn’t know who they were. Obviously, they didn’t have wings, glowing faces or halos. They appeared “human” to Abraham.

There seems to be an order or ranking system among the angels. Michael is referred to as the “archangel” in Jude. In the Thessalonian letter we learn that the Lord will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel. “Arch” carries the idea of chief or high. The archangel was in a higher position than the other angels. Now, dozens of questions come out of this, which we do not know. Not from the Bible, at least. Was Michael the only “chief” angel? How did he become that? How long had he been that? Could he lose that position? What all was involved with being the chief angel? Questions, questions, questions. No answers. We just have to let our minds rest with the fact that Michael is the archangel. He is because God said so.

Have you ever considered how many times in your life angels are involved? This thought may surprise you. We might conclude that angels are found in Bible times and only in the Bible times. They are not. You have them in your life and you may not even realize this. Consider:

1. The angels rejoiced when you repented of your sins (Lk 15:10). They were aware of what you did. They know of your faith and commitment to Christ. What you did was known in Heaven. What you did brought happiness and joy to the angels. They knew of your faith and your coming to the Lord. You did something that brought joy to Heaven. That is amazing. I doubt the President knew of your commitment to the Lord. I doubt your neighbors knew. But the angels did.

2. When you pass away, as a righteous person, the angels will carry your soul to paradise. This is what happened to Lazarus. Poor Lazarus was left at the rich man’s gate. Abandoned. Alone. Forgotten. Forsaken. His condition looked hopeless and helpless. It doesn’t seem like he had a friend in the world. However, God was watching him. When he died, the angels were there. They carried that righteous soul to comfort. He was not forgotten. He was not alone. God was with him. What a great thought for each of us. It doesn’t matter where or how we die, for Lazarus, it was at a stranger’s gate. God knows where we are. God will take care of us. The angels will carry us home. I have been in the presence of several Christians, including my own mother, as they drew their last breath. It’s not like the movies. It’s not dramatic. There is no music. They just stop. It’s over. And I realize at that moment, angels are in the room. You can’t see them. You can’t reach out and touch them. But by faith we know that. The angels carry that precious soul to a rest that God has awaiting them. In the presence of angels.

3. When Jesus comes, He will come with the angels. In some of the Lord’s parables, it is the angels who separate the wheat from the tares at the end. Matthew tells us, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him…” All the angels. The sky will be filled. There are a lot of angels. The living righteous will be changed in an instant when Jesus comes. The dead in Christ will be raised. We will see the angels. What a glorious sight that will be.

4. We will praise God with the angels in Heaven. Revelation 7 gives us a picture that surrounds the throne of God. There, with the angels, we are praising God. Together with angels. What a glorious sight that will be.

5. There may have been other times that we simply were not aware of. For instance, angels are referred to in Hebrews as “ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.” That’s God’s people. That’s Christians. Has there been angels who served us? Probably. I doubt we know the occasion. In fact, when this life is over, I think we will be amazed at how involved God was in our lives. Things happen and we don’t see what was behind the scenes. We don’t see God moving things, opening doors, helping out. We might call it luck. Some may even see it as a blessing. God may see it as angels serving. Just what have the angels done? I don’t think we can know.

6. Hebrews tells us, borrowing from Abraham’s experience, that some have entertained angels without knowing it. The question is often asked, can that happen today? Can I look at someone and think it’s just some person, when it is actually an angel? The point of this passage is to be nice and hospitable to everyone. If you knew someone was a real angel, you’d treat him extremely nice. Abraham didn’t know, and he still treated them extremely nice. That’s the way we ought to be. If angels did come to us unaware, we would never know it. Abraham’s angels didn’t drop any clues. Could it happen to us? I suppose. I’d think there would be a reason for their presence, more than just dropping in to chit-chat for a while. Maybe it has already happened in our lives.

Angels in our lives. What a powerful thought. What an encouragement. What comfort. And what’s behind the angels is a God who sent them. A God who is watching out for you. A God who loves you.

Roger

Jump Start # 1435

Luke 16:22 “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.”

  A friend died yesterday morning. He had a long battle with cancer. He was much too young to die, not yet fifty years old. I have known his family for a long time. His family and my family had many ties. His grandmother was one of my first Bible class teachers. His mother and step father are some of the dearest friends we have. I baptized his wife along time ago. More than that, I preformed his wedding ceremony. When his oldest daughter was born, my wife was the nurse in the room. At the urging of my wife, our youngest son met his daughter. They were married last October. He was able to walk her down the isle and even gave a wonderful speech at the reception. Today, word came from my son, that he had passed on. He was a believer. Quiet in nature, he was strong in both muscle and spirit. He had a kind smile, a warm heart and was loyal as a friend to the core. He wasn’t one that lit the room up when he walked in. You wouldn’t find him behind the pulpit pounding out lessons. He wasn’t one to lead singing. That wasn’t his way. But he was consistent. He could be counted upon. His kind are many in the kingdom. They march with the Lord. His sweet wife is a pillar of strength. Her devotion and care through this long journey caught the attention of everyone and I suspect even Heaven. His two wonderful daughters love the Lord and walk in His ways.

This passage came to my mind when I heard of his passing. I’ve thought about this verse often. I find myself thinking about it more and more. It’s not the angels carrying Lazarus, I believe that happens. It’s not that the righteous die, we know that. This verse takes me to the moment of death. That sweet and special moment when the righteous have breathed their last. The journey here comes to an end. We know that their life hasn’t really ended. Luke 16 shows that. There is no “The End” to our story. Our journey doesn’t end at the cemetery, it ends with God. What I wonder about are those first few moments. The eye closes, the last breath is exhaled, the heart stops. On this side of things, our tears flow. They are gone we say. But it’s the other side that brings wonderment to me. The eyes open in Paradise and what a wonderful world they must see. They must feel great. The pains of this life stay here. The problems of this life stay here. The sickness gone. The disease defeated. For the righteous, what a wonderful thought, to open our eyes on the other side and to see the beauty of God’s creation on that side of things. Movies are still being released about folks who claimed that they were killed, went to Heaven, saw and heard things and then came back to tell of their experiences. They write books and now make movies. All those things are bogus. There are too many Biblical problems with those fanciful ideas. I don’t need a modern story to convince me. I have the old, old story.

But just think, your eyes open, and there you are. Can you imagine who you might see? Now some folks will always ask, “Do you think we will know each other in Heaven?” Just think about that question for a moment. Do you think that God will place us with thousands of strangers for eternity. How comforting would that be? Are you kidding? No way. Absolutely we will know each other. Lazarus, Abraham, the rich man—they each had their identity. How come the rich man didn’t call Abraham, “Moses?” Why didn’t he call him, “Noah?” Somehow he knew. I don’t know how and the how doesn’t bother me. We will. So move on with that thought. Your eyes open and there is Abraham, Moses and Noah. There are the righteous that you knew from a long time ago. I look forward to opening my eyes and seeing my mom again. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her. I want to see Robert Jackson. He was one of my heroes when I was a young preacher. I want to tell him, “Thank you.” I want to see some of those restoration preachers I have read about all of my life. Our eyes open to a wonderful place.

I wonder if there will be music in on the other side? I tend to think God likes music. He’s always included it in His worship. The little bird can sure sing in the mornings. The wind coming through the trees makes it’s own music. I don’t know if there’s music, but I’d like to think so.

I expect things will be colorful over there. God sure likes color. I tend to think that green is one of his favorite colors. There are so many shades of green and green is everywhere. Those that know me, know that I love color, from bright ties to wild socks, the more the better. We have so much color here, I just hope there is color over there. Just imagine how pretty everything will be. It will be perfect. There won’t be any liter, pollution, trash or graffiti on the other side. Pure. Spotless. Shiny. Bright. That’s how I expect it will be.

I wonder what it will smell like over there. Have you ever thought about that? We have all kinds of smells here. Some good, some not so good. Flowers, new mown lawns, spring rain, fresh bread—great smells. Will there be smells on the other side? I don’t know. I sure hope so.

Most of all, imagine opening your eyes are realizing that you made it. You are where you are supposed to be. You are where God wants you to be. The race over. The battle finished. The course completed. God’s child home. Safe. Never to fear again. Never to hurt again. Never to be tempted again. Never to shed a tear again. Never to worry again. Never to have to say “I’m sorry” again. Never to be rushed again. Never to have to go somewhere else. Never to doubt again. Never to feel disappointed again. Never lonely. Never to fight with Satan again. Home. Safe. Sure. The “well done” spoken by the Lord. This is where the journey takes us. This is what we are after. This is why we worship each week. This is why we choose what is right. This is why we cling to the Lord. This is why God’s way has become our way. This is why you can’t budge us away from the Cross. A crown. A victory. A home. Paul told the Philippians that death is a gain. We understand that in theory, but the day our eyes open up on the other side we will understand it completely.

I will be preaching the funeral for my friend in a few days. I looked and found the wedding ceremony I used for his wedding a long time ago. I may read some of that. It’s been several years but it is fitting.

A journey completed. Eyes opened on the other side. I wish I could have been there to see that look on his face. I look forward to seeing him again, on the other side, when my eyes open there.

Thank you, Jeff. Thank you, Lord. It is because of you all of this is possible.

Roger

Jump Start # 1347

Luke 16:22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.”

  We continue looking at this most fascinating and interesting story of the rich man and Lazarus. This is a look into the next world. This is a warning about what happens when the love of money gets a hold of us.

Our verse today tells of two deaths. The poor man died and the rich man died. Opposites in life, they are now opposites in death. We also notice that they traded positions from life and death. In life, Lazarus was suffering. In death, he is comforted. In life, the rich man fared sumptuously every day. In death, he was tormented. In life, there was no one to help Lazarus. In death, there is no one to help the rich man. In life, Lazarus begged. In death, the rich man begged. So many contrasts and opposites. This is a fascinating piece of literature and wonderful and powerful Biblical lessons.

Both men died. We are not surprised that Lazarus died. He was sickly, hungry and in a bad way when we first meet him. The rich man seemed to be doing well. He too, died. Death comes. It always does. We need to talk about this, because this is something that too many fear, do not understand, and hope that if they don’t think about it, it will just go away. It never does. Our fear of it only makes it worse when it does come. And, it always comes.

Hebrews 9 reminds us that we have a divine appointment with death. God always keeps His appointment. So the two men in our story die. People die every day. Some, like Lazarus, are sickly and death is often a welcome relief. Others, possibly like the rich man, seem to be doing well and death takes them. A car accident. A victim of crime. A plane crash. A tornado. An earthquake. A heart attack. Death doesn’t always move slowly and give us time to prepare. It can come suddenly. I’ve heard of preachers who passed out and died in the middle of a sermon. I’ve heard of folks dying in church. Some die in sin. Some are ready and others are not.

Death pays no attention to who you are, how important you are, nor how busy you are. Death pays no attention to how much wealth you have, how many children you have at home, or even if you are at home. People have died on vacation and business trips. Death doesn’t pay attention to how old you are. Parents have buried babies. Parents have buried teenagers. Some live to be 100 and others do not make it to their first birthday. There is that divine appointment and no one knows when it’s their turn.

I expect the rich man had a fine funeral. I’d expect the who’s who showed up. I’d expect he had the finest that money could afford in his funeral. His grave would be marked with a tall stone that everyone would notice. You see that in most cemeteries. There is one huge stone that stands very tall and is very prominent. It cost a lot to put that there. That would have been the rich man’s grave. Poor Lazarus on the other hand was most likely dumped in a pauper’s grave. His place unmarked. Lazarus would be quickly forgotten by most, because most didn’t even know him. We tend to ignore poor people and be drawn to celebrities and wealthy people. We still do that. We just had the Kentucky Derby in our area last week. The paper and the newscasts showed the private jets, the red carpet with the big name celebrities, the fine dressed people, the big hats. That’s the attention. The simple guy taking money at the parking lot never makes the news. The guy who picks up the trash doesn’t make the news. It’s the wealthy, the super star, that’s where the attention has always been. Big in life doesn’t mean big in death.

Our text begins to reveal things that we do not see with our eyes. This is the beginning of the spiritual lessons. It tells us that the rich man was buried. We’d expect that. However, it also tells us that Lazarus, the poor man, was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. That’s something that no one would have seen or noticed. The soul can not be seen by eyes. Angels are spiritual beings. They are not those fat chubby babies that you see in gift stores. They are a spirit. Spirits cannot be seen. The angels swoop down and carry the soul of Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom.

Abraham was the father of faith. It was Abraham that God first called and made promises with. Abraham was God’s friend. Jesus declared that Abraham was alive, not physically, but his soul. Death isn’t the end. The last page is not at the cemetery. Lazarus died, but he was carried to Abraham’s bosom. We’ll have more to say about that tomorrow.

Our verse reveals that God knew that Lazarus had died. God had summoned the angels to carry the soul of Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom. Abraham’s bosom, an unusual expression, brings the image of a deep hug. Lazarus who seemed to have no one. Lazarus who could not even keep the dogs away, now had angels and now was embraced by the father of faith, Abraham. He was loved. He was accepted. He was welcomed. It also is an indication that he was right with God. Abraham is listed in Hebrews 11 as one who gained approval. He was the one who was looking for that heavenly city. And now, poor Lazarus was there, with Abraham, embraced by Abraham. No greater scene of love and faith and acceptance than that. We thought he was alone in life, but he wasn’t. God was with him. God was always there. He didn’t die alone. He was not abandoned after death. God cared for Lazarus.

The thought and question comes from this, does God still send angels today? I see nothing in the Bible that would make us think that this has stopped. Lazarus, obviously was faithful to God. The angels are servants of the righteous. You’ll note that the text doesn’t tell us that angels also gathered up the rich man. He is the one who seems abandoned by God. He didn’t have time for God in life and God doesn’t have time for him in death. How comforting to know that God is with me every step of the way. How comforting it is to know that God takes care of His people. How encouraging it is to know that God knows and God cares.

You’ll also notice from the text what is missing. Nothing dramatic is mentioned about this journey from death to Abraham’s bosom. God doesn’t do drama. We are not told what Lazarus felt like. We are not told what songs, if any, he heard. We are not told about bright lights or such things.

A side note. The most popular religious books on the market today are those accounts of people who died, went to Heaven and came back. There are dozens of them. They report seeing Jesus on rainbow ponies, talking to departed family members, listing what songs they heard, and just a joyous and wonderful journey. These books are hot. They are flying off the shelves. People are interested in the other side. People want to know about death. They want to be told it will be ok. There are multiple problems with these books. Don’t waste your money buying them. First, they are inconsistent with each other and they are inconsistent with what the Bible teaches. Second, no one in the Bible who was resurrected ever spoke about what they saw, heard or felt. Nothing. Third, Paul was allowed to see the ‘third Heaven’ (2 Cor. 12). He said he heard things that were unlawful for him to repeat. An inspired apostle was not allowed to tell us what he saw, yet all these others are? And they are making money off these books? Don’t you see a problem with that? Fourth, Paul was nearly killed by stoning. He never told us what the experience was like. Fifth, the Bible defines death as the separation of the body and soul (James 2:26). The only way for the soul and body to reunite, a resurrection, takes a miracle. Always a man of God was around to do that. It didn’t just happened. It didn’t happen naturally. There was a reason and a purpose for it. These books, about going to Heaven during surgeries or going to Heaven after being killed in car accidents, are ignorant of simple Biblical facts. Don’t believe them. Don’t buy them. They are not true. They belong on the fiction shelf.

What we do know and need to know is found in the Scriptures. Both Lazarus and the rich man died. Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom where he was comforted. The rich man was in torment. Death wasn’t the end for either one.

Their choices in life determined their destinies after death. This wasn’t prearranged by God. This wasn’t something beyond their control. Lazarus was a man of faith. The rich man was a selfish snob. The rich man could have been with Lazarus had he read and followed  Moses and the Prophets. Had he opened his heart and been generous to a hurting soul laid at his gate, the outcome would have been different. His choices, his decisions put him where he was. And that is one of the great lessons for us. You and I will also die someday. Our choices, even today, have an impact on our eternal destiny. Are we compassionate with others? Do we forgive others? Do we extend mercy to others? Are we believers? Are we reading God’s word?  Life is lived one day at a time. Collected, those days make up a lifetime. A lifetime of living for self, a lifetime of sin, a lifetime of faith and obedience determine where we go. The rich man must have been shocked. He had not given much thought to the other side. Now he was there. Now it was too late. Now he could do nothing to change things.

That’s the lesson for us. Today, make the right choices. Today, live by faith. Today, do something for the kingdom. Today, walk with the Lord. Today. You may not have a tomorrow.

Roger

Jump Start # 620

Luke 16 22 “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.”

We continue our look at the great lessons found in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. There are so many wonderful thoughts and lessons found in these verses. This is given to us like a postcard. It shows us what it is like on the other side. What we find is so different than what many of us believed and especially the way Hollywood portrays it. But before we get there, we must talk about the subject of death.

We don’t like that subject. Possibly, we feel, that if we don’t think about it, maybe it will just go away. It won’t. It never does. What is it like to die? Have you ever thought about that? In the movies, at least the action thrillers that I watch, someone dies all the time. There is a blast of weapons and someone falls. He doesn’t get up. The movie moves on. We can become insensitive to death. I have seen several people actually die. It’s not like the movies. No music is playing in the background. There is no great final speech. What I have seen is that a person just quietly stops breathing. That’s it. No grand trumpets blowing. No profound “this is it” moment. They simply pass to the other side.

The Bible is the place to turn to in order to understand the subject of death. There are no experts who can tell us what it is like. There are no movies that can accurately prepare us for what death will be like. One fact is true, everyone that we know, other than Jesus, who has died remained dead. No one dies over the weekend and then comes back to work again on Monday. There are books on the market that makes the claim that the author died, went to Heaven and then somehow came back. Don Piper’s best selling book, “90 minutes in Heaven,” details what he saw and even names the songs that he heard when he spent his 90 minutes in Heaven. There is another book, telling the story of a boy who died and went to Heaven. He was told things and met people that he never knew on earth. He then came back. People get caught up in those kinds of stories and put more faith in what those books say than what the Bible teaches. Now I might get some of my readers upset with me, but I can assuredly say that those things did not happen. They fly in the face of Scripture. I take my stand with what the Bible says.

1. In our look at Luke 16, the rich man wanted word to be sent back to his brothers. It was not allowed. Of all the people who died in the Bible, no one ever sent word back. There are 10 resurrections in the Bible. Not one of them told of what they saw, felt or heard. Nothing. Paul was allowed to go to the “third Heaven” in 2 Cor 12:4. He said it was unlawful for him to repeat what he heard. How is it that an inspired apostle could not tell, yet a truck driver can? More than that, a person is allowed to write a book and make tons of money on this? Does this not seem odd to you? The Scriptures do not tell of lights at the end of tunnels or bright lights or floating sensations or all the other stuff that is popular today. I’ve heard folks say that if you find a penny on the ground that is face up, the date of the penny is the date of someone that you know who died that year. It is a message from them. Really? What’s the message? A face up penny? A person who gets into those kinds of superstitions will likely believe in ghosts, zombies, and leprechauns.

It’s amazing also, that everyone who claimed to have died and came back, all went to Heaven. They are of different faiths, different doctrinal attitudes, different concepts about Jesus –yet they all went to Heaven. That’s not what the Bible teaches. How is it that a Baptist, a Catholic, a Hindu and an atheist all have the same experience? That’s odd in my book. How come no one comes back with stories about Hell? Jesus said more would be lost than saved. Odd isn’t it?

2. In the Bible, a person came back from the dead as a result of a miracle, mostly, by a man of God bringing him back on purpose. Elijah did that. Jesus did that. Paul did that. There was a resurrection of righteous people at the death of Jesus. This was in connection with many miracles by God—the sun was dark, there was an earthquake, the veil of the temple was torn into. Did anyone in the Bible, other than Jesus, come back from the dead on their own? I don’t know of any. I’m to believe that a truck driver is killed in a car accident and goes to Heaven for an hour and a half and for some unknown reason, he is sent back? No apostle bring him back? It just happened? Strange you don’t read about those things in the Bible.

3. Death is the separation of the body and spirit (James 2:26). It is something known by God. Death is a process, just the opposite of birth. No one stays in the state of birth. It’s merely a doorway to take us from one world into this world. Death is just the opposite. It takes us from this world into the next. We don’t stay in the state of death. We live. We exist. The road doesn’t end at the cemetery. Both the rich man and Lazarus were “alive” after they died. They both knew, felt, remembered and recognized. They lived after they died. Death was simply switching rooms.

4. God is with the righteous, even in death. When Lazarus died, the angels carried him to Abraham’s bosom. What a contrast to being dumped by the rich man’s gate. He is carried by angels. Did that really happen? Yes. Does it still happen? For the righteous, certainly. There is nothing to think otherwise. What comfort to know that the righteous do not die alone. God cares for them. What about the wicked? How do they get to the other side? Demons? Don’t guess. Don’t speculate. Don’t park your car at a place we do not know. God doesn’t say. That’s the answer. I don’t know, and neither do you. Forget the movie, Ghost. It was just a movie.

5. God uses wonderful words to describe the death of his children. Paul said it was a gain (Phi 1:21). The Psalmist said it was precious (Ps 116:15). The Corinthians were told that it is a victory (1 Cor 15:54). The Thessalonians were told it was hope (1 Thes 4:13). The sting and fear of death are removed by Jesus Christ. The world uses words like “gone,” “departed,” “kicked the bucket,” “bought the farm,” and “tragedy.” God sees death differently. It’s the door we go through to get where God is. He’s on the other side. All the blessings and joys await us. We must go through the doorway marked “Death.” For the child of God, death is not so bad. In fact, they long to be on the other side. The other side is much better than this side.

Learn to develop the right attitude about death. See it as God sees it. Walk with Jesus and you have nothing to fear. Shelve all those modern books about Heaven and coming back from the dead, and read what God says. God’s word is where our faith needs to be.

It will be just as God said. You can count on that!

Roger

Jump Start # 619

Luke 16:22 “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.”

The rich man and Lazarus—what a great lesson the Lord taught! I want to devote our next few Jump Starts to looking at this powerful story. It is rich with lessons and many intriguing thoughts that can make a difference to our faith and our walk with the Lord.

This is one of the few pictures we have from the other side of death. We have tons of questions about what will we be doing and what it will be like and what we will look like and so forth. This passage doesn’t answer all of those curious thoughts. They are not intended to. The Bible is for the living. It is to get us to the other side safely in Jesus. So many are so focused on the other side of death that they forget to live.

Let’s begin by realizing that these two men, Lazarus and the rich man, have many contrasts, both in life and death. One is rich. We know him as the rich man. We don’t even know his name. He lived well. He ate well. He had much.  He had a table, house and gates. Lazarus was poor. Nothing is said about his house, table nor gates. He is laid at the gates of the rich man’s house. The word “laid” may bring the thought of tender and loving care. Maybe someone tucked a blanket around him, patted his head and wished him well. I wish that was the case. The Greek language won’t allow that. The word means to “dump,” “cast,” or, “throw.” There’s no loving care there. It seems that someone rolled Lazarus off the cart in front of the rich man’s house. The image is that Lazarus didn’t have anything, nor anyone. That’s a pitiful way to live or die. Could it have been that Lazarus had no money to buy the medicine that he needed? Dropping him by the gates of the rich man was a desperate act of trying to find someone to help him. Lazarus is so pitiful that he can’t even chase away the street dogs that have gathered to lick his wounds. The picture is painted in such a way that we ought to feel sorry for him. We should. The rich man didn’t. He acted like the priest and the Levite in the story of the good Samaritan. He ignored Lazarus. The sick man wasn’t living in Africa. He wasn’t down in a ditch where no one could see him. He was by the gates, the only way in and out of the place was through the gates. The rich man had to see him. He probably thought, how disgusting that the dogs were all around him.

The reason that the rich man ends in torment and Lazarus in comfort has nothing specifically to do with their status in life. The rich man wasn’t tormented just because he had wealth. God had many wealthy people on His side. Job is a great example. Abraham is another. It’s not money, it’s what you do with it and what it does to you. The rich man demonstrated that he did not love his fellow man. He was in the position to help Lazarus, possibly even save his life and he did nothing. Shame on him! God would not stand still for that.

Also, Lazarus wasn’t taken to comfort just because he was poor, sickly or had a hard life. This is difficult for many to get. We assume that if we’ve had a hard life here then we ought to get Heaven. It doesn’t work that way. A person doesn’t go to Heaven just because they died serving their country or trying to rescue someone. A person doesn’t get Heaven because they have had “hell” on earth. A person doesn’t get Heaven because the road has been long and hard for them. I’ve had discussions with people who just flat out said, “I deserve Heaven for all that I’ve had to put up with in this life.” WRONG. No one deserves Heaven. No one.

Heaven isn’t given out by chance, like a lottery ticket. It is for those who have chosen Jesus and walked with Him. Lazarus must have been a man of faith. That consistent lesson is taught throughout the Bible—the just shall live by faith. Poverty is not the ticket to Heaven, faith is.

Both men died. I expect the rich man had some funeral. His grave would have been marked with a fine monument. Tons of people would have shown up at his funeral. Prominent people would have been in the audience. The local paper would have featured his passing. Those things haven’t changed. And Lazarus? He most likely was tossed in a pauper’s grave. His grave was most likely unmarked. Few, if any, attended his funeral, if he even had one. There was one in attendance and one who noticed. That was God. God recognizes the passing of His children.

Even before we get to the rest of this great story, we find powerful lessons here. The rich man would have been the talk of the town. Big house—big chariot—big table—big gates– nice landscape– traveled far and well– newest stuff– latest stuff– coolest stuff. We understand that today. Big screen– cool sports car– tickets to the best events—finest labels on his clothes. A man of success. A man of wealth.

There are some things that the rich man saw after he died that he never saw before.

• He saw that his soul was the most important possession. His luxuries didn’t help him in death. All the fine food, all the exotic travels, all the fancy clothes, all the rich friends did not help him. They did not ease his pain nor make his eternity more enjoyable. God is not impressed with how big your house is. He is interested in how large your heart is.
• He saw that death comes to all people. Death often comes unannounced. It comes to those who are ready and those not ready. It comes to those you have nothing to do and those who are very needed. Death comes to the busy businessman, the famous musician, the housewife, the elder in the church, the young college student. Death doesn’t care that you have plans. Death doesn’t care that it’s not a good time for you. Death doesn’t care that others are counting on you and need you. Death doesn’t care. Death comes not just to the poor, but also to the wealthy.

• He saw that he had opportunity to do what is right. The story continues to where the rich man wants to warn his brothers about the place he was in. Obviously, they didn’t believe in it as he hadn’t. He is told that they have Moses and the prophets. That’s the Bible. They have the Bible. They have been given the answers that they needed. They have hope from God. The rich man knows that they won’t touch the Bible. He hadn’t. They were all cut from the same cloth. His brothers were going to be in terrible torment with him because they ignored their souls as he had.

• He saw for the first time that he was hopeless. He begs for water, just a drop of water. Probably for the first time in his life he begs. He can’t get what he wants. There is no one to obey his commands. No one to serve him. His status has changed. He has no freedom. He has no one to help him. He is alone and he is in misery. In many ways, he and Lazarus have switched positions. It was too late to say, “I’m sorry.” There was no second chances. His life was over. His life was wasted. He had failed. Nothing could be done for him.

Can you see these things? If you can, you are already better off than the rich man. He never saw them until it was too late. The passage is for us. It’s a wake up call. It’s a reminder to have a course correction before it’s too late. Some day will be our last day. What matters then, as what matters now, is you and Jesus. Are you walking with Him? Are you obeying Him? Are you connected to Him? Don’t let stuff keep you from Him or from Heaven.

More next time…
Roger