“What Are You Doing With The Lazarus At Your Gate?”
Luke 16:19 through Luke 16:31 (NIV) 19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
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. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So 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.’
25“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. 26And 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.’
27“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
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.’”
I. Notice first the two main characters of Jesus story
A. The unnamed rich man
1. Here is a man who lived in the lap of luxury
B. “Dressed in purple and fine linen”
1. purple was the color of royalty – worn only by princes, kings, and nobles of high degree
2. clothes dyed in purple dye were the costliest of all clothes, for purple dye was the rarest of all dye colors
3. you will remember the Roman soldiers placed a purple robe on Jesus before His crucifixion – it was a mockery on their part, because He called Himself the King of the Jews
4. the fine linen was worth twice it’s weight in gold
C. “Feasted in luxury every day”
1. the word used for feasting is the word that is used for a gourmet feeding on exotic and costly dishes
2. in a country were the common people were fortunate if they ate meat once a week…
3. this rich man is the picture of self-indulgence; he had everything the world has to offer
D. Next we have the “poor man, named Lazarus”
1. If we are to take this story as a parable, as opposed to Jesus telling a factual story… then this is the only parable where names are given to any of the subjects … this is why many bible teachers do not believe this to be a parable, but rather a true story that Jesus related to the Pharisees that day
2. It’s interesting that the rich man is not given a name, and yet the poor man is dignified by a name
3. What is even more interesting is the meaning of the name… Lazarus is derived from two Hebrew words, “El” & “ezer” = God helped or “God has helped”
E. Lazarus was “full of ulcerated sores”
1. Not only was he poor, he had a terrible condition, not unlike leprosy
2. Unable to care for his basic needs, sickness has attacked his body… oozing sores further humiliate this poor man
3. Added to the humiliation of the physical condition are the dogs who hang around this poor man waiting for their opportunity…
F. Lazarus was laid at the gate of this rich man each day
1. Some believe Lazarus was a leper, and that he had no feet
2. That he was unable to care for himself was evident…
3. And the reason he laid at this mans gate daily was because of the feasting which went on daily at the rich mans home
4. Back in those days they did not have utensils to eat food with…
5. People ate with their hands… and in the very wealthy houses, the hands were cleansed by wiping them on hunks of bread… which were then thrown away
6. It was these morsels of bread that Lazarus hoped to get each day
G. Now that Jesus has introduced the main characters… painting a picture of two people whose circumstances in life could not be more contrasting…
H. He goes on further to paint another picture, one which is also sharply contrasting… only this time the roles are reversed
Luke 16:22 through Luke 16:23 (NIV) 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. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
I. The death of Lazarus
1. In life he was tormented
2. In death all that changed
3. His death was actually a deliverance from painful circumstances
J. Notice the first thing he saw when he took his last breath… the angels of God
1. Be assured that there are angelic beings which watch after you, child of God
Psa. 91:11-12 (NIV) 11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Heb. 1:14 (NIV) 14Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
2. Thank God for His angels who watch and guard over you… and you can be sure that when you breathe your last breath you will see angels…
3. The angels carried Lazarus to a place known as paradise… or Abraham’s bosom
4. This was the place that the righteous dead went to prior to Jesus saving work on the cross
5. It was a place of peace, comfort, wholeness
6. There was no pain, nor suffering… he left all that behind him
K. Next the rich man dies…
1. Notice the contrast… he doesn’t see angels… it says he died and was buried…
2. And in the next scene we find this rich man in hell
L. Hell is not mentioned too often in churches today
1. You don’t hear messages about hell because we don’t want to upset anyone
2. We don’t want anyone to get depressed or to feel bad about themselves
3. But I think it’s important for me to inform you of certain realities
4. There is a day of reckoning coming for everyone
5. There is a heaven and there is a hell, and lake of fire
6. Let me read an account given of the day that is to come…
Rev. 20:10 through Rev. 20:14 (NIV) 10And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.15If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
7. This story which Jesus relates does give us a glimpse into the after life
M. Here are a few things we can learn about hell…
1. it is that it is a place of great torment
2. The pain and suffering are real and awful
a) if you have ever suffered a third degree burn, you have had only a small taste of the pain
b) I remember one brilliant day in may past when I opened the radiator cap of my overheated car… the boiling steam and water came gushing out and splattered my arm and the side of my face
3. There is no quenching or relief from the pain and suffering…
a) The rich man asked if Lazarus could come and help… offer some relief
4. Abraham’s answer… there is no crossing over
a) Once the last breath has been taken by a person, their fate is sealed once and for all
5. It is a place of everlasting torment…
N. Hell is a real place, and it is the destination of those whose names are not written in the Lambs book of life
1. All your good neighbors
2. All those nice people who you say.. wouldn’t they make great Christians…
3. All those folks who say they are Christians, but deny Jesus by their words and actions…
4. Yes all those who deny that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to the Father
O. In the Gospel of John 3, Jesus has an encounter with one of the religious rulers of his day, a man named Nicodemus
1. Jesus told the religious man, Nicodemus that his religion was not enough… he needed to be born again
2. It was not by good deeds or religious activity that he could inherit the kingdom of God… but rather by accepting the fact that he was a sinner in need of a Savior
3. Jesus said…
John 3:16 through John 3:18 (NIV) 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
P. The rich man made another appeal… send Lazarus to my brothers and warn them…
1. Abraham’s response gives us another truth which we must take to heart today…
Luke 16:29 through Luke 16:31 (NIV) 29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
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.’”
Q. There is enough power in the Word of God to warn a man and show him the way to salvation
1. There is enough truth in this book …
2. And the Spirit of God is powerful enough if God can find someone who will speak it to those in need
1 Cor. 1:18 (NIV) 18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
R. And here is the rub… who will use the power of God’s word to save the people around them?
S. When you look carefully at this story in Luke… what was the rich man’s sin?
1. Over indulgence? – yes, certainly he indulged himself
2. He had a lot…and he spent it
3. He was prosperous, and it seems drunk on his own prosperity
T. Was he mean to Lazarus?…
1. No, it doesn’t seem that he was overtly mean to him
2. He did not have him removed from his gate
3. He did not kick him or speak meanly to him every day when he walked by him
4. He did not object to him receiving the crumbs that fell from his table
U. The real heart issue with this rich man was that he could look on the world’s suffering and need and feel no pity in his heart
1. He looked on a fellow man each day who was hungry, in pain, and desperately needy… and he did nothing about it
V. His was the sin of indifference
1. He was so wrapped up in his little merry life, that he cared less about the pain and suffering of those around him
W. And I am afraid this same malady has hit many of us today
1. We live in times of great prosperity
2. And our prosperity has blinded us to the needs of people around us
3. Oh, you may not live in the lap of luxury… you may even struggle with paying your bills…
X. And yet, I promise you there is a Lazarus laying at your gate every day
1. They may not have oozing sores all over their body…
2. They may even drive a Lexus car…
3. But they are so lost and so desperately needy,
4. Their soul is so tormented by fear…
5. They are so bound by hopelessness
6. They are running 100 miles an hour on the treadmill of life…
7. they are looking for self fulfillment, and wholeness, but they can never find it
8. Some are in so much pain that they try to daily drown their sorrow with drugs and alcohol
9. Some are so confused by false religions and philosophies, and while they seem to have a semblance of peace, when they face that doorway of death… fear will find them out
Y. Yes, these are the Lazarus that lay at our gates
1. These days they wear business suits…
2. They play golf at our clubs
3. They shop at the same supermarkets
4. They do our taxes, or cut our hair, or check us out at the supermarkets…
5. And they are our Lazarus…
Z. And the Lord sent me here today to ask you this one question… what are you going to do with the Lazarus at your gate
1 John 3:16 through 1 John 3:19 (NIV) 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
AA. All around us are the Lazarus of this world
1. They are the spiritually needy
2. They are people who are destine for eternal damnation
3. They are people who if someone does not intervene will spend eternity in painful torment
BB. In 1 Cor. Paul speaks of the compelling love of Christ
2 Cor. 5:14 through 2 Cor. 5:15 (NIV) 14For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
1. When you realize that in many ways you are the rich man in this story today
2. You have been given the purple robe of the Royal priesthood…
3. You have been given new white garments
4. You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Heavenly places
5. You have the power of God directed to you to do His will
6. You have the mind of Christ
7. You are rich with spiritual gifts
8. You hold the keys that will unlock the prison door of your Lazarus
9. You have been given the ministry of reconciliation…
10. You have the word of reconciliation
11. And the promise of signs and wonders to affirm the word you preach…
CC. You and I, we are in many ways the rich man in today’s story… we are spiritually as rich as that man was earthly rich
1. And every day we will walk by at least one Lazarus… because every day God will be sure to bring a Lazarus to our gate
2. The question is… what will you do with the Lazarus at your gate
DD. It is my prayer today that you will not wait like the other rich man to see how every day God placed a golden opportunity, but we were blinded by our own indifference
EE. Lets reach out today
1. Let’s touch the Lazarus within our reach with the word of truth and the action of God’s love!
FF. What can you do?
1. You can pray and ask God to show you who He wants to reach through you
2. You can help someone in need by meeting a practical need in the name of Jesus
3. You help the needy and poor by supporting Convoy of Hope $10 a month; work one day for the poor – give a days wages – One day offering will be received at our Mission Weekend October 3 & 4
4. You can support our missionaries who are taking the message of God’s love to a world in need - $1 a day for missions = $30 a month pledge
5. There is something you can do; If we do nothing, nothing changes and we will have wasted the opportunity to join Jesus in transforming our world one person at a time.
GG. Lets start to become conscience of the people around us that God has place within our reach
HH. Lets ask God to give us a compassionate, caring heart
II. Let’s ask God to forgive us of our indifference, and ask for another day so that we can make a difference in someone’s life!
