CHOICES
Luke 16:19-31
This life is full of choices. We make over a hundred decisions each day. We have to decide what time to get up. We have to make a decision on what clothes to wear for the day or for work and then another set for home. We have to decide which way to go to work or even go to work. We have to take care of other things all day long. The choices are always before us. We can never face a day without choices. Well today we have a choice to make. The choice is where we are going to spend eternity. Some of us have made that choice. Others don’t want to think about it. One day that that choice will be final. As we gather in honor of our friend, we are faced with an important question; where will we spend eternity when we leave this earth?
1. Two Men: We read in the Gospel of Luke about two men. Some call this a parable, but parables don’t usually use proper names. We are given an aivid account of two types of people.
A. The first man we read about is a rich man: “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day” (v.19)
Here we learn a few things about this man: he was rich, he wore fine clothes, and he lived in luxury every day.
This is a man who had everything money could buy. He had taken hold of life and lived it to the hilt. He had no worries from a human perspective.
Everyone would like to live this way. We often wish that we could do anything we wanted to do and go any place we wanted to go without worrying about the cost. Here was that person. He did it his way. He didn’t need anyone. He was independently wealthy.
B. The second man we read about was Lazarus: “But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores” (v.20,21).
We also learn a few things about the second man: He was a beggar, he had no place to live except on the street, he was sick and full of sores, he was satisfied with crumbs from the rich man’s table, his only friends were dogs, and dogs were his only medical help. Here is a man that no one really wants to be. He had nothing. He was looked down on by all those around him. He was friendless. Christ told this story to let people know that there are two types of individuals in the world: those who depend on themselves and those who depend on others. This beggar did trust in God for help and comfort, as we learn from the outcome of his death.
2. Two Choices: Not only did these men differ in their lifestyle, they also differed greatly in their personal choices. All of us have the same choices to make.
A. Lazarus: “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham bosom” (v.22). The beggar Lazarus died, but he had no known burial. He was carried by angels to this place of comfort, also referred to as Abraham’s bosom, we learn that this is a place called paradise by Christ (Luke 23:43). Paradise, or Abraham bosom, is a place for those who believe in Jesus Christ to save them from the punishment of sin, and give their lives to Him as Lord; Lazarus made this choice,
B. The Rich Man:
“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.’ 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.’ 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. But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if some one rises from the dead’” (Luke 16:22-31).
So the rich man also dies. He has a funeral and is buried. The rich man goes to a place called Hades or Hell, which is a place of torment. While he is there, the rich man wants mercy; he quickly learns that after death there is no mercy. He also learned from Abraham that the Bible is the only source of learning about life after death. Most of all he learned that the choices made in life affect our eternal life. The rich man made the wrong choice; he ignored Scripture, the book that directs us to Jesus and eternal life.
In Closing: Each one here today has a choice to make concerning eternity. We can choose to believe in Christ, following Him as Lord, or we can live for ourselves with no hope for the future. If we choose Jesus Christ, then there needs to be a change that includes confession of sin and belief in the gospel of Christ. This gospel tells us that Christ died on the Cross for our sins, He was buried, and He rose from the dead to show us the way to heaven.
The second choice is to go our own way and live as if this life was the only place that matters. Once this choice is made, we will have to live with this decision for all eternity. Remember, that being rich doesn’t mean you cannot go to heaven. There are some rich people who know Christ. But if we trust in our riches or anything else more than Christ, we may find ourselves in a place of torment for eternity. The question to consider, as we are faced with the reality of life and death, is what choice will you make.
