The Truth of the Matter - Luke 16:19-31 - October 28, 2012
Many, many years ago, a man once spoke to his friend saying, "There is one thing that mars all the pleasures of my life." "And what is that one thing?" asked the friend. The first man answered, "I am afraid the Bible is true. If I could know for certain that death is an eternal sleep, I should be happy: my joy would be complete! I would not fear. But here is the thorn that stings me. This is the sword that pierces my very soul, -- if the Bible is true, I am lost forever."
The last couple of weeks we have been speaking a bit about truth. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) The way of truth is the way of God. Jesus is the truth and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Truth is what God looks for in His people - in you and me. And it is this truth – God’s truth - that sanctifies us, that helps us grow in our faith and that guides us into God’s presence. It’s the truth that sets us free! But this man feared the truth of the Bible saying, “If the Bible is true I am lost forever.” He heard the word of God’s condemnation in the pages of Scripture, but he failed to hear the words of hope and love and mercy and grace. Still, in his words we find a grain of truth for there are some that will be lost forever. Not that God desires that it be so, but because they reject the very truth that would set them free.
Would you open your Bibles with me this morning to the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Luke 16, beginning in verse 19. Jesus is speaking to the people and this is what He tells them …
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.” (Luke 16:19–21, NIV84)
Purple cloth and fine linen were a symbol of great wealth in Jesus’ day. The rich man in this story was very well off. Nothing he desired was beyond his reach or his ability to buy. His house was significant enough that it had its own gate to keep out those he would have deemed to be riff-raff - people like this fellow Lazarus who lays at his gate. If you have seen some of the gated communities in the larger cities - places where huge wrought iron gates block the road up to the houses – houses that many would term mansions - you will have an idea of what Jesus is describing in this story. This man is well off - the Donald Trump or Bill Gates of his day perhaps. The point is this - he lacked nothing that money could buy and he lived the good life - the life that many people of our day dream of living.
In stark contrast to him is this beggar named Lazarus who is laid at his gate. Now don’t confuse this Lazarus with the one that we recently read about whom Jesus raised from the dead. Different men. This story that Jesus tells is the only one recorded in Scripture where He actually gives one of the people in it a name. And the name He gives to this character is “Lazarus” - a name meaning “God is my helper.” And that’s hard for us to imagine. It’s kind of an odd name for this man – ironic even. He is apparently crippled because he has to be laid at the rich man’s gate in the hopes that he would be able to beg and receive enough handouts to survive another day. His health is obviously poor - he’s covered in festering sores. The dogs that lick his wounds are not pet dogs but wild dogs which he can not fend off. He longs to eat the food that falls from the rich man’s table. A greater contrast between two men can not be found. One has everything - the other has nothing – except a name which proclaims, “God is my helper.” When we think of the Lazarus’ of our world we think of the homeless, we think of those living in third world countries. But to those who are the living Lazarus’ of our day we, you and I, who have so much, are often the rich man. Let’s keep reading, verse 22 ...
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” (Luke 16:22–26, NIV84)
The wise men of Jesus’ day believed that wealth and prosperity were a sign of God’s blessing. The more God favored you the more blessed you would be with material blessings. That’s not so different from the thinking of our time even among Christians. If everything is going your way, if the money’s coming in, the bills are being paid, the car is new, the farm is prospering, your health is good and your life is free of trials and troubles then we tend to believe that God favors us, that He approves of us and that His blessings are a sign of that favor. The other side of the coin would suggest though that if things aren’t going our way, if we are experiencing troubles and set backs, that we are cursed by God or being punished by Him - there must be some sin in our lives. And God may richly bless some of those who follow Him faithfully, and troubles and divine discipline may fall on those who walk away from the precepts of Scripture, but neither of these things is absolute. God sends the rains upon the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Scripture tells us that both Joseph and Job experienced horrendous trials and sufferings, and yet they had not fallen out of favor with God, and at the same time many wealthy people in the Bible are said to be far from God and His blessings despite their wealth and their comfort. Folks, the point is this: Our outward circumstances are no sure indication of God’s favor or lack of it.
Now verse 25 states that in this life the rich man had received his good things while Lazarus received the bad things. The verse makes the point of saying that Lazarus received “bad things” rather than saying “his bad things.” Lazarus is not responsible for the evil that has befallen him. In contrast the rich man is said to have received “his good things.” But the “good things” of the rich man were the material things that pleased him – the same things so many people pursue today - but they were not the things of God, nor God Himself. One might draw the conclusion that those who lead good lives in this world will have the tables turned on them in the next and vice versa - but that would be a false conclusion to make. The rich man’s wealth has nothing to do with his winding up in Hell. Abraham was an incredibly wealthy man but he is shown here as being not in a place of torment but rather in a place of blessing. In a similar way, Lazarus’ ending up in this place of blessing with Abraham, has nothing to do with his being poor and in need in this world. There is something more going on here than has yet been revealed.
But before we move on to the next verses there are three things we learn about the place to which the rich man went when he died. First of all, Hell is a real place. It is not a figment of our imaginations, it’s not something made up to keep children in line, it is a real place to which no believer goes and from which no unbeliever escapes. Secondly, Hell is a place of punishment. It is a terrible place of torment. The rich man is in agony and there is no relief to be had. But notice that the rich man never denies the justice of his being in Hell. He never proclaims his innocence or that God made a mistake. He realizes that the judgment that has placed him there was brought upon him by none other than his own hands. The punishment is terrible; but the judgement is just. Thirdly, Hell is a final destination. Once in Hell the rich man’s circumstances are unchangeable. The great chasm between judgment and reward is fixed at the point of death. Eternity in Hell stretches before the rich man. There is no purgatory from which you can be delivered. There is no early release for good behavior. There is no release at all - eternity is forever. That chasm is fixed and none can cross over. That is a fearful pronunciation for those who do not look to Jesus Christ for salvation. Verse 27 ...
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’” (Luke 16:27–28, NIV84)
The rich man knows that his brothers are headed to the same place he has found himself in. They need to be warned and they need to repent of the way they are living. And this rich man, who in life had no use for Lazarus, now begs that Lazarus be the one to go and warn his brothers. Verse 29 ...
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’” (Luke 16:29–30, NIV84)
There is an unvoiced accusation made by the rich man in verse 30. He is not simply expressing love for his brothers in his desire to warn them. He’s pointing his finger at God and saying “You didn’t give me a fair chance! If someone from the dead had come to see me I would have believed! If you had performed a miracle on my behalf God - I would have believed.” Perhaps you’ve heard a similar statement from someone in your life - “If God would only do this for me - then I would believe.” Perhaps you’ve voiced that same statement yourself asking God to prove himself to you. Friends, we don’t need a miracle in order to believe. When the Israelites were lead out of Egypt by God, delivered by His divine power, they were the recipients of many miracles. And yet God says this of them, “How long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?” [Numbers 14:11] The truth is that God has spoken to us through creation. Yet men deny it. God has spoken to us through His Son. Yet men reject Him. God has spoken to us through His word. Yet men disregard it. Our perceived need, of seeing a miracle in order to believe, is symptomatic of our unwillingness to believe regardless of the evidence we are presented with. When it comes to the things of God, seeing is not necessarily believing; believing is seeing. That’s the point Abraham is making in verse 31 ...
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31, NIV84)
Those were prophetic words. Not that much time would pass before Jesus himself was laid in a tomb, His body lifeless and dead. And just a few short days after a stone was rolled across the entrance to seal that tomb God would raise Jesus from the dead confirming the truths of Scripture. You see, the primary function of miracles is not to convince people of truth “by replacing the Bible,” [Ingram] but to confirm the truth of the word God has spoken. In referring to the salvation that has come to us through Jesus Christ, the author of Hebrews writes that, “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles.” Miracles are meant to confirm the word of truth in people’s hearts rather than convince them of the truth. If you do not believe what you read in Scripture about God then a miracle is unlikely to change your disposition. If you do not believe in the God of the Bible today it is far better for you to pray and ask that God would open your eyes to the truth of His word then it is to pray and ask for a miracle. For Scripture says that it is “the holy Scriptures, [themselves] which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” [2 Timothy 3:15] Jesus is the truth. And it is the truth of God that leads us unto God and that sets us free and sanctifies us.
Abraham’s argument is that we have all we need in order to believe in the word of God because in the pages of the Bible we have the truth of God revealed - His son Jesus who claims, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The truth is there. Which brings us back to our parable this morning as we ask “On what basis did the rich man deserve Hell and the poor beggar Lazarus, he whom God helps, deserve paradise?” It was not wealth. It was not morality. We have no indication that Lazarus was any more moral a person than was the rich man. When it comes right down to it the rich man is in Hell for the very same reason that any other person will be sent to Hell: because he did not heed the word of God.
In Isaiah 58 we read these words; “Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:3-7)
The rich man stands condemned before God because he failed to heed the word of God. Not that salvation comes by the good deeds we do, but because he failed to believe the God of the Word. Salvation is by faith from first to last. Abraham, wealthy and powerful in life, is commended for his faith, after his death. The chasm that separates the rich man and Lazarus in death is the chasm forged in life through faith.
Now, many religions claim that after death you get a second chance, either through working your way out of purgatory, through reincarnation, through karma, or through baptisms performed for the dead. But the testimony of Scripture is this: “Man is destined to die once and after that to face judgement.” [Hebrews 9:27]. And you are judged on your response to Jesus Christ. Those who place their faith in Jesus for forgiveness of sins and believe Him to be the truth He claims to be will, despite their circumstances in this life, go to a place of comfort and joy - a place in the presence of God. Those who reject the truth, who do not believe, regardless of their good deeds in this life, will go to a place of eternal punishment called Hell. And within that place there is no relief. From that place there is no escape.
In the book of Ephesians we read these words: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NIV84)
God offers a gift that money cannot buy! He offers a gift worth more than any treasure this world has to offer. His is the gift of life and forgiveness and everlasting hope. The rich man, blinded to the truth in life, sees it so very clearly in death. He let the things of this world, his riches, his success, his pride, blind him to the gift God would have offered to him and the salvation he could have known. Do not let that be true of you! For only in death, only when it was too late, does he see so clearly what was needed in this life. Verse 30 … he says, if someone from the dead were to go to them “they would repent.” Repentance is what he needed! We can only repent when we see our sin as God sees it – as it really is. Scripture says that “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10, NIV84) Godly sorrow, seeing our sin as God sees it and understanding the horror of it, and being broken by it, brings a repentance that leads to salvation. Understanding the terrible price of sin, the heart of the repentant person turns to God, confesses their sin, cries out to God for forgiveness and mercy, and receives Jesus by faith. This is God’s gift. This is God’s grace. And it’s being offered to you today.
See, the rich man’s money couldn’t purchase this gift for him. He could have given everything he had and it still wouldn’t have been enough. That gift, that grace, has already been purchased by another. The 5th chapter of the book of Revelation gives us a picture of the throne room of God. Jesus sits upon the throne and those gathered around the throne are singing a new song with these words … “with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)
Your freedom, your new life, your eternity with God, has been purchased for you by the blood of Christ. That was the price your sin demanded. In His flesh, in His Spirit, in His soul, Jesus bore the horror of our sin. In doing so He took upon Himself God’s wrath, satisfied God’s justice, and became the emblem of God’s love for fallen, sinful humanity. In Him, and Him alone, do we have forgiveness of sins. That is God’s gift to this broken world. And maybe your heart is breaking this morning. Maybe it is you who are the broken-hearted, you who are seeing for the first time the reality of your sin and your need for a Savior. Maybe it’s you who has stood in the rich man’s place and you’ve allowed your abundance to blind you to the truth of the matter which is that every single one of us is condemned by our sin – we are without hope and without God in this world – until we receive God’s gift of grace. Or maybe you feel more like Lazarus these days. Life is falling apart, each day is a struggle. Or maybe it is you who needs to call out to God for mercy and discover the hope, the grace, the peace, and the life that we so desperately need! Sin is the great equalizer in God’s eyes. It reduces us all to needing a Savior and we find our salvation in Jesus.
And this morning we remember His death on the cross, the blood that was shed for the forgiveness of sin, as we share the Lord’s Supper together. I’ll ask the servers to come forward at this time please and stand before the table together. You are welcome to eat of the bread and drink of the cup today if you believe that Jesus died for your sins, that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. And remember this, that while Jesus died in the past, He lives in the present, and will return again to call His people to Him one day soon. Make sure that you are ready for that day!
Let’s pray …
Distribute bread and cups.
Let’s eat and drink this morning with grateful hearts for God has demonstrated His love in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!
[Eat and Drink]
Closing Song …
