Are You Persuaded?
Luke 16:19-31
Introduction: Are you persuaded? Have you become convinced that the way of Christ – the way of God – is true and therefore is that which you model your life after? Do you prayerfully consider your day? How about every decision “large” or “small” that you make? Are you persuaded? Paul, the Apostle, was persuaded. He said in 2 Timothy 1:12 “For which cause I suffer these things: yet I am not ashamed; for I know Him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded the He is able to guard that which I have committed to Him until that day.” In speaking of Abraham in Romans 4:21, Paul also proclaimed: “yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” Are you persuaded as Paul was in Romans 8:38 when he proclaimed: “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I believe that we as God’s people often forget who we are in Christ.
The voice of God is challenging us this morning and He’s asking these things: Who are You? Do you know who you are? Does the world know in Whom you believe? Will you be persuaded and be my ambassador to this world? Will you be wholly mine? Ponder these things as we continue in the Word.
I. Whose Life do you Imitate? (vs 19-21)
a. It isn’t wrong to be blessed – it is wrong to squander in richness and not complete the work of God
b. Ephesians 5:1-5
i. Walk in Love
ii. Sacrifice
iii. Immorality and impurity and greed
iv. No immoral or impure person or covetous man… has inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God
c. Do not be imitators in some areas of life but not others
i. Easy to imitate in corporate worship
ii. But do you know the Word?
iii. God Sees at Home and Everywhere (Your personal life)
iv. 2 Timothy 2:22-23 “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
v. Do not imitate and follow false ideas and doctrines
1. There are whole denominations, pastors, preachers and teachers that support ungodly evil things such as murdering of babies, adultery, pornography, homosexuality, lying, stealing…
2. Furthermore they endorse and place into governmental power those who support those things.
3. Are you an imitator of Christ?
vi. 2 Corinthians 6:17
1. ALL things are new
2. Are you allowing God to work the newness of His redemptive power in your life or are you delaying and blocking it?
II. There is no second chance (vs 22-26)
a. Hate Your Life (Luke 14:25-27)
i. What He was saying was – more than the life you have – follow after me.
ii. If I call you to do something at a particular time – you must be willing to drop everything and do it.
iii. You must not pursue the things of life more than you pursue me.
b. The story Jesus was telling was not indicating that rich people go to hell and poor people go to heaven… There are plenty of rich people that yearn after God and are blessed by God and plenty of poor people who’d rather die than acknowledge Jesus Christ as their savior.
c. Vs 25 – remember that God remembers what you did and what you received during your life on Earth.
d. There is a great chasm that is fixed between God’s presence and the absence of God – hell.
i. But there was and is a redeemer! There was and is a plan in place that you need not worry about a second chance! For God said in John 3:16…
ii. There is but one way to cross that chasm before the opportunity disappears and that is to “Call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” as Paul eloquently proclaimed in Romans 10:13. Hallelujah!
e. There is nothing so terrible in your life that cannot be forgiven, forgotten and cleansed by the blood that was shed.
f. You can’t convince God through your guilt and pain that you are unworthy. He’s made a way for you to be righteous even as He is righteous and Holy even as He is holy!
g. But in all this – you must give your life now.
h. There is NO second chance after death.
III. Are You Persuaded? (vs 27-31)
a. Paul proclaimed that he was persuaded about all things concerning God. Are you?
b. If you are persuaded:
i. Be an ambassador – wholly His (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
1. You have been given the ministry of reconciliation
2. You have been called to be an ambassador
3. He made Christ to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. First, you must be persuaded to be IN HIM.
ii. Matthew 28:18-20
1. You’ve been given all authority
2. Go now and make disciples
3. Teach each other to observe all that God has commanded
c. The rich man lived for himself – unto himself – and in the end was so vexed by the outcome of his life after death that he called out that God send Lazarus from the dead to proclaim the good news to his brothers in order to warn him.
d. The rich, the poor, the skinny, the fat, the ugly, the beautiful, the young, the old… None are persuaded without the example of Jesus Christ. Have you been persuaded in such a way that you are that example?
e. Interesting what Abraham replies to the rich man in vs. 31. He says: “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”
i. Many miracles happened through the raising of the dead, yet many are still not persuaded.
ii. Jesus Christ – the ultimate sacrifice, rose from the grave of death and yet millions upon millions upon millions of human beings have not been, nor will be persuaded to follow after God.
1. Jesus was obviously foreshadowing His own death and the fact that many would still not be persuaded.
iii. We have the example. We have the Word of God – the Spirit-breathed Word of the Jehovah that we casually read when we feel like it. But are we persuaded?
iv. Are we persuaded that the blind eyes can still be opened? That deaf ears can still hear? Moreover, are we persuaded that regardless of our shortcomings, our sin, our filth, our unworthiness (in our own eyes) that God still does, can and will redeem!?
Conclusion:
You see, God is speaking to us. His voice is clear. He is proclaiming to His people: Become righteous, holy, a likeness of me to show to those who are constantly seeking but have not yet found! Be sold out to me! Lay your life down for mine! Hate to such a degree your own life that you are willing to lay any of it down at any time in order to listen to my voice and go when I say go! My ways are higher than your ways and the plans that I have laid for you are good and true! What things are more important? The things that you plan? The things that you involve yourself and your family in or listening to my voice and following after me? Are your own thoughts and conceptions or misconceptions about me more important or is my Word and taking me by faith? Is your job more important? Your hobbies? Your family? Yes, I say that I have called you to be an ambassador! I have called you to serve and to minister! For are you not mine? Have I not purchased you for a hefty price? Be my people for I have been, am, and will be your God!
